ONE YEAR BLOGOVERSARY!!!

Hello my booksicles!

Today is my one year blogoversary! That means I’ve officially been book blogging for a whole, entire YEAR and what a year it’s been! My precious blog baby is one year old and I feel so proud of how far it has come. This time last year, I was full of trepidation. I had no idea what I was doing or what to expect or whether anyone would bother reading my posts. All I knew was that I was going to give it my all and hope for the best. This time last year, I took the plunge and posted my first post titled, ‘Welcome to Sereadipity!‘ and I’m so very glad I did.

So, this post is partly for celebration, partly for setting goals for the blogging year ahead but mostly for saying thank you.

Thank you to everyone who has supported and encouraged Sereadipity, to everyone who has followed, liked, commented on or even just read one of my posts. I can’t properly convey the extent of my appreciation in words. Thank you to all the lovely bookish people I have connected with this year- you have made my blogging experience such a joy. The book community has been so wholesome and welcoming and it’s wonderful to see so many people out there who share a passion for reading. I remember a time when I didn’t know a single person who loved books as much as me and now I know hundreds. This blog, these words, would mean nothing without you. My gratitude is as boundless as the stars for every one of you.

Stats:

• 1 year
• 616 blog followers
• 133 posts
• 75,000 words
• 58 book reviews
• 392 Twitter followers
• 1,225 Goodreads friends

The Best Bits:

• I know arcs don’t determine a blogger’s worth but it’s still exciting and rewarding to receive, read and review them! When I received my first digital arc I was over the moon but I was thrilled beyond belief when I received my first physical review copy of a book (it was The Demon World by Sally Green). Some of my favourite review copies I’ve received this year are Descendant of the Crane, The Dragon Republic, Below, Darkdawn, The Beautiful and Kingdom of Souls!
• I’ve gotten onto the mailing lists of two much-loved publishers of mine.
• I’ve interviewed some lovely authors like Rin Chupeco and Coco Ma.
• I co-hosted the Retelling-A-Thon readathon with three other amazing book bloggers, which was a lot of fun.
• Technically not blog related but I MET JAY KRISTOFF *high-pitched shrieking*.
• I’ve participated in 7 blog tours!
• I created the Bookish Adventure Book Tag!
• I hosted The Book Character Awards!
• I beta read an absolutely amazingly mind-blowing manuscript.
• I was a part of this NBC news article where I mentioned my thoughts on diversity in The Beautiful.
• But honestly? My main highlight has been making it through this year. It wasn’t always easy, there have been highs and low, but I’m still here and I’m still blogging and I feel like that’s a remarkable feat in itself.

Goals:

• Next year, I definitely need to request less arcs! I made the classic newbie blogger mistake of requesting more than I can manage and I want to have time to read other books as well.
• I want to write more discussion posts, I like writing them and I don’t do it enough.
• I would like to do more interviews, guest posts and general collaborations with other bloggers. If anyone has any collaborative posting ideas… send me an email!
• I need to blog more consistently, I started of really well and then it went a bit awry later on in the year.
• And I need to continue to enjoy blogging and sharing my all-encompassing passion for books with others!

 

Favourite Posts:

• My post on Valentine’s day about roses and slavery.
• My 100th post about my reading journey.
• This discussion post on anti-heroes.
• This Top Ten Tuesday about things I’ve done for the love of books!
• This post where I give book recommedations based on Hogwarts house.

This has been a wild, amazing, beautiful, crazy year and I’m excited for the year ahead, so for the last time:

THANK YOU!!!

And also:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEREADIPITY!

 

…and on that note, I’m signing off to snuggle up and watch The Witcher!

Twitter | Goodreads

Guest Post: The Book Reader Problems Tag

Hello my booksicles!

Today the lovely Jeimy from A Novel Idea is guest posting on my blog and doing the ‘Book Reader Problems Tag’. You can find her on Twitter and on Pinterest and don’t forget to check out her blog!
For those who aren’t aware, ‘guest posting’ is when someone writes and publishes a post on another person’s blog to reach and connect with new readers.

So, here is the post!

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Hello fellow bookworms!

My name is Jeimy and I run A Novel Idea!

A little about me:

• I live in Pennsylvania
• I am Hispanic
• I am a full stack web developer/ graphic designer
• I am a book hoarding enthusiast!
• I am the worst when it comes to talking/writing about myself so let’s move on!

I started A Novel Idea earlier this year in February under the name ReadWriteLive as a New Year’s resolution! I needed to change up my routine and since I’m always reading, I decided to give book blogging a try! A Novel Idea was created as a space for me to share my love of all things bookish and related to story-telling with all those who want to read about it! If it pertains to books or writing, it has a place in A Novel Idea.

I am super excited to be a guest on Sereadipity! Thank you so much for having me Umairah 🙂

Today’s bookish post is a fun little tag I found while blog hopping. The tag was made by Adventures Of a Bookish Girl.

Click on the link above to see her answers!

BOOK READER PROBLEMS TAG

YOU HAVE 20.000 BOOKS IN YOUR TBR. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT TO READ NEXT?

Honestly, it all depends on too many factors. Mood, energy, cover, author, etc etc etc.

More often than not it’s down to how I’m feeling once I finish the previous book. Am I a complete mess from the last book, needing something mushy to bandaid the hurt? Or am I feeling masochistic and need another emotional rollercoaster?

YOU’RE HALFWAY THROUGH A BOOK AND YOU’RE JUST NOT LOVING IT – DO YOU PUT IT DOWN OR ARE YOU COMMITTED?

It takes A LOT for me to not DNF a book. I try to give each book the benefit of the doubt because I can admit, I’m the problem sometimes. Even if I’m not feeling the book, I will try to finish it and find some good points.
HOWEVER
There are some books out there that I can’t force myself to finish. My brain does not focus on the words and I find myself re-reading the same sentence for hours. The story and characters do not resonate with me and I am forced to put it down.

THE END OF THE YEAR IS COMING AND YOU’RE BEHIND ON YOUR READING CHALLENGE. DO YOU TRY TO CATCH UP? AND IF SO, HOW?

I read for pleasure (and sometimes torture depending on the book). I never try to overwhelm myself with reading because it is the one activity I love. If I’m behind in my reading challenge, then I’m behind. I have to recognize that I still did very well and things happen. Reading slumps because of depression, being busier that normal, lethargy, etc etc etc.

I’m a firm believer in that reading should be something done for personal growth/self care/as a hobby. Once you start making it a race/chore, it no longer is something you can take joy in.

THE COVERS OF A SERIES YOU LOVE DO NOT MATCH. HOW DO YOU COPE?

I don’t care. I care more about the stories matching than the cover. The covers dont’ have to match because they might’ve changed designers or print size.

As long as I have the book, I’m content.

EVERYONE SEEMS TO LOVE A BOOK THAT YOU DO NOT. WHO DO YOU BOND WITH OVER YOUR SHARED FEELINGS?

Other book bloggers!! And the only two people from my friendship group that actually read.

YOU’RE READING A BOOK IN PUBLIC AND YOU’RE ABOUT TO START CRYING. WHAT DO YOU DO?

I cry.
What are they going to do? Nothing that’s what.

THE SEQUEL TO A BOOK YOU LOVED JUST CAME OUT, BUT YOU’VE FORGOTTEN A LOT OF WHAT HAPPENS. ARE YOU GOING TO REREAD IT?

I always re-read the previous book if the sequel took a while to come out. I need the story fresh in my head, to reacquaint myself with the characters and get the picture as clear as possible before I pick up the new one.

YOU DO NOT WANT ANYONE TO BORROW YOUR BOOKS. HOW DO YOU POLITELY SAY NO WHEN SOMEONE ASKS?
I say no.

It is not impolite to say no. I feel like people need to be more comfortable with saying the word no. Especially when it comes to their own things.

Books are very dear to me and I realize that may not be the case for everyone.

If they want to read the book but not buy it, they can go to the library. My books do not leave my hands.

YOU HAVE PICKED UP AND PUT DOWN 5 BOOKS IN THE LAST MONTH. HOW DO YOU GET OVER THIS READING SLUMP?

Reading slumps are the bane of my existence. My longest one was two years. TWO YEARS.

Crazy right?

I usually get over them by re-reading a favorite book. A book I know I won’t put down.

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata, Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling are just a few that I always re-read to kick back into the swing of reading.

THERE ARE SO MANY BOOKS COMING OUT THAT YOU ARE DYING TO READ, HOW MANY DO YOU END UP BUYING?

I, JEIMY, have no self control and buy all of them. A large part of my savings are just for books. Priorities people! Priorities!

AFTER YOU PURCHASE ALL OF THESE BOOKS YOU’RE DYING TO READ, HOW LONG DO THEY SIT ON YOUR SHELVES BEFORE YOU GET TO THEM?

I feel attacked right now…

Depends. Sometimes they don’t sit for very long. Sometimes it takes me years to get to them.

Sometimes I never read them at all and end up donating them to the local library. If it is a book I was anticipating, then it gets read ASAP.

If it’s a book that I found interesting while at the bookstore but I didn’t really go in for it, then it might take me a while to get to it.

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I honestly wish I was as chilled a reader as Jeimy- being behind reading goals and non-matching covers stresses me out!

Whoever wants to do this tag, consider yourself tagged! And thank you to Jeimy for guest posting on Sereadipity- it was a pleasure having you!

How would you answer these questions? Let me know in the comments!

Twitter | Goodreads

The Sleeping Beauty Book Tag

Hello my booksicles!

Today I’ll be doing the Sleeping Beauty Book Tag which I saw on LauReads.

I haven’t done a book tag in ages and that is something I wanted to change because tags are such fun ways to discuss bookish opinions and connect with other bloggers so I’m going to try to do more in the future. Here’s the tag!

 

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~SLEEPING BEAUTY~
A main/title character that is overshadowed by others

I would definitely say Alina Starkov (from Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo) because although she’s the main character and one of the most powerful Grisha ever,  she’s so boring and didn’t capture my interest in the slightest. Whereas, the other characters like the Darkling, Genya, Nikolai and Zoya were so much more nuanced and intriguing and if it wasn’t for them I would never have read the whole trilogy.

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~PRINCE PHILLIP~
Name a character you would slay a dragon for

Can I say two characters? I would slay a dragon without a moment of hesitation for Lazlo and Sarai (from Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor) because they are the sweetest, nicest people ever and I love them with all my heart.

I would slay a dragon for them even though I have a great appreciation for dragons. I would slay a dragon for them even though I don’t think I possess the physical capabilities to slay a dragon (but I could do a dramatic reading of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer until it dies of frustration). However, I do think that if Lazlo and Sarai were being attacked by a dragon they’d probably find a way to make friends with it and my slaying-by-dramatic-reading skills would not be required.

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~FLORA, FAUNA & MERRYWEATHER~
Your favourite fictional dysfunctional family

Nova’s family in Mooncakes is very dysfunctional but also the cutest one ever. Her parents may be ghosts and she may have a cousin with a pigeon head but their love and support for each other makes my heart glow.

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~BRIAR ROSE~
A book/character whose name confuses you/you always mess up

A character name that never fails to confuse me is Chaol (from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas). I had no idea whether it was pronounced ‘ch-aa-ol’ or ‘chay-ol’ or ‘kale’ until I found a pronunciation guide and realised it was ‘kay-ol’. I have a friend who adamantly calls him ‘chole’ even though she knows how it’s supposed to be said. I can’t help associating his name with the leafy green vegetable.

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~ONCE UPON A DREAM~
A book that gave you déjà-vu

I got intense déjà-vu from Frostblood by Elly Blake because it was so similar to books I’d already read and so tropey I could almost predict what would happen next. In particular, it reminded me of Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas because it also had a character with ice magic train another character to use their fire magic and then- shockingly- they fell in love. It also reminded me of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard because it had the Frostbloods vs Firebloods conflict whereas Red Queen similarly had Reds vs Silvers. It didn’t provide anything new or original that I hadn’t seen before.

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~BLUE VS PINK~
A character who can’t make up their mind

Veda (from Beware the Night by Jessika Fleck) just couldn’t make up her mind about whether she liked her best friend, Nico, or this other person called Dorian so she just strung them both along for the duration of the book and formed a tidy little annoying love triangle that has yet to be resolved.

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~SLEEPING SPINDLE~
Name a book that turned out exactly how you thought it would (good or bad)

I knew that I’d love Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik before I read it for two reasons. Firstly, because I’d read another book by Novik called Uprooted and I completely and utterly adored it and secondly because it was a loose retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and I am a massive fan of fairy tale retellings. So when I read Spinning Silver and fell head over heels for its intricately woven story with whispers of winter, I wasn’t surprised.

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So that’s the tag! What did you think of my answers? Do you agree/ disagree? Let me know in the comments!

I tag:

• Rukky @ Eternity Books
• E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Little Nook
• Noura @ The Perks of Being Noura
• Dini @ dinipandareads
• Or anyone else who would like to do it!

Goodreads| Twitter

Sereadipity Interviews… Sara B. Larson! (Sisters of Shadow and Light Blog Tour)

Hello my booksicles!

It’s been a while but I’m finally dragging myself out of my blogging slump starting with this Fantastic Flying Book Club tour for Sisters of Shadow and Light. My stop is a video interview with the author, Sara B. Larson. The scheduled date was November 5th but due to technical difficulties surrounding the video, that date wasn’t possible but it’s fixed now so without further ado let’s get going!

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About the book:

Book: Sisters of Shadow and Light
Author: Sara B. Larson
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: November 5th 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

From the acclaimed author of DEFY, Sara B. Larson, SISTERS OF SHADOW
AND LIGHT is a timeless and fantastical tale of sisterly love and powerful
magic

“The night my sister was born, the stars died and were reborn in her eyes…”.

Zuhra and Inara have grown up in the Citadel of the Paladins, an abandoned fortress
where legendary, magical warriors once lived before disappearing from the
world―including their Paladin father the night Inara was born.

On that same night, a massive, magical hedge grew and imprisoned them within the
citadel. Inara inherited their father’s Paladin power; her eyes glow blue and she is
able to make plants grow at unbelievable rates, but she has been trapped in her own
mind because of a “roar” that drowns everything else out―leaving Zuhra virtually
alone with their emotionally broken human mother.

For fifteen years they have lived, trapped in the citadel, with little contact from the
outside world…until the day a stranger passes through the hedge, and everything
changes.

Book links:

Goodreads | Amazon |B&N | Bookdepository (CD) |Kobo

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Video interview:

I sent off a few questions about the book and Sara was kind enough to answer them by video! She even got her son involved!

Click here to watch the video interview!

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About the author:

Sara B. Larson is the best-selling and critically acclaimed author of the YA fantasy DEFY trilogy (DEFY, IGNITE, and ENDURE) and the DARK BREAKS THE DAWN duology. Her next YA fantasy, SISTERS OF SHADOW AND LIGHT, comes out November 5th from Tor Teen. She can’t remember a time when she didn’t write books—although she now uses a computer instead of a Little Mermaid notebook. Sara lives in Utah with her husband, their four children, and their Maltese, Loki. She writes in brief snippets throughout the day and the quiet hours when most people are sleeping. Her husband claims she should have a degree in “the art of multitasking.” When she’s not mothering or writing, you can often find her at the gym repenting for her sugar addiction.

Author links:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter |Facebook |Pinterest |Youtube |Instagram

—Tour schedule—

—Excerpt—

—Giveaway—

Thank you to the FFBC for choosing me for this tour and thank you so much to Sara Larson for taking the time to answer my questions!

Goodreads| Twitter

Monstrous Glamour: Review of The Beautiful

Book: The Beautiful

Author: Renée Ahdieh

Year Published: 2019

• Plot: 5/5
• Characters: 5/5
• Writing: 5/5
• Overall: 5/5

Usually, I can’t stand vampire books but I trusted Renée Ahdieh to write one that I’d enjoy and I’m glad that I did. The Beautiful was a glamorous, mysterious read- set in 1872, New Orleans– that had me spellbound throughout and I’m so excited for its sequel.

Celine Rousseau was a dressmaker in Paris until a terrible event forced her to flee her life there and start a new one in the dazzling city of New Orleans. Soon, she became caught up in a gruesome murder mystery along with a group of people known as La Cour de Lions and she made discoveries that meant her life would never be the same again.

Celine was incredibly reckless, she wanted to live life on the edge and experience everything it had to offer. She was also very headstrong and admirably confident– she knew who she wanted to be and didn’t care what anyone else thought about it. However the main reason I loved her was because we both share a deep appreciation for delicious food and she loved eating mille-feuille almost as much as I do! I adored the other characters too. Odette Valmont was the kind of person I wish I was friends with and was always full of enthusiasm and humour. Sébastien Saint Germain was like a more refined and fancy version of Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows and his relationship with Celine was perfect.

The writing and world building were stunning. Ahdieh’s vibrant descriptions of New Orleans conveyed a genuine love for the city and I loved the way she managed to weave in themes of feminism and racism into the story too. Furthermore, I liked how many different languages were incorporated like lots of French and a bit of Spanish, Italian and more as well as multiple references to famous works of literature. It made for an extremely multi-faceted and engrossing experience- I felt like I could get lost in the world she created and never find my way out again. Also, the vampires were more subtle and elegant than I thought they’d be and didn’t come across as tacky and annoying like they usually do for me (thank goodness they didn’t sparkle). The reader is slowly fed information about them and there’s so much that still hasn’t been revealed that I’m assuming will be in the next book.

A sparkling world, an endearing cast of characters and so much more. I loved The Beautiful and it most certainly didn’t disappoint!

Thank you to Hodderscape for providing me with a proof copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Goodreads | Twitter

Sereadipity Interviews… Rin Chupeco!

Hello my bookish dolugongs! I’m so excited to share this interview I did with the lovely Rin Chupeco about The Never Tilting World. You can read my review of the book here!

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About The Never Tilting World:

Publication date: 15th October 2019

Frozen meets Mad Max in this epic teen fantasy duology bursting with star-crossed romance, immortal heroines, and elemental magic, perfect for fans of Furyborn.
Generations of twin goddesses have long ruled Aeon. But seventeen years ago, one sister’s betrayal defied an ancient prophecy and split their world in two. The planet ceased to spin, and a Great Abyss now divides two realms: one cloaked in perpetual night, the other scorched by an unrelenting sun.

While one sister rules Aranth—a frozen city surrounded by a storm-wracked sea —her twin inhabits the sand-locked Golden City. Each goddess has raised a daughter, and each keeps her own secrets about her sister’s betrayal.

But when shadowy forces begin to call their daughters, Odessa and Haidee, back to the site of the Breaking, the two young goddesses —along with a powerful healer from Aranth, and a mouthy desert scavenger —set out on separate journeys across treacherous wastelands, desperate to heal their broken world. No matter the sacrifice it demands.

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Hello Rin, thank you so much for doing this interview with me! Climate change and the balance between humans and nature are very important themes in The Never Tilting World. Why did you decide to base the novel on these themes and frame them in a fantasy setting?

I live in a country (the Philippines) that is extremely susceptible to the effects of climate change, and would be very vulnerable should bad policies be enacted. I haven’t read a lot of YA books that focused on this particular aspect and thought there should be more books that reflected that reality, which I know is a weird thing to say when it’s very obviously a fantasy book. But I’ve always found that fantasy can take aspects of reality and put readers at a respectable distance from those issues, enough that the themes can have some measure of objectivity that the readers can later choose to unpack once they’re ready to deal with them personally. Someone else actually suggested that initial visual – that of a world torn between night and day – and I was excited by the idea of taking that image and turning it into a story, of making it a conflict that people can relate to. Eyeball planets are actually a thing in science, and hypotheses suggest that they can actually sustain life, albeit very limitedly.

I loved the world building in the book, especially the history of the goddesses and the story behind why they always had to be twins. What inspired you to create and integrate these fascinating legends into the novel?

A lot of the myth I took from Assyrian mythology, primarily from the legend of the goddess Inanna, who obviously has the same name as the very first goddess in the book and is the ancestress to my goddesses Haidee and Odessa. I took a very general summary of that mythology and then added my own spin to it by making them less about being a revered, distant goddesses of worship and more like your average girls who also just happen to have exceptionally powerful abilities capable of wrecking the planet if they so chose – and, as the story reveals, they in fact did choose to!

If there’s one thing about this novel it’s that it’s incredibly imaginative. Everything from sand deserts to rainbow haired goddesses to shadow demons to milking giant sandworms. Where do you get such awesome ideas from?

I seriously have no clue! Ideas pop into my head on the daily, traipsing in and out with impunity into my brain because I never bothered to change the lock. With the goddesses and their rainbow hair – well, I’ve always been a huge fan of anime, and the joke is that you can spot who the main character is in the first episode if they have differently colored hair. So I just really doubled down on that. Dolugongs, for example, are probably just a spin on my pets, except I tried to think of the coolest but most inappropriate/ inconvenient pet to have, and came up with the dolphin-dugong hybrid. Giant sand worms probably came from my interest in cryptozoology, where some massive worms are said to live in deserts and eat people.

The Never Tilting World is written from four different points of view, which perspective did you enjoy writing the most?

I hate to admit it, but I like writing Arjun’s POV best because he is the most like me. He’s really fond of acting tough because acting tough is how he’s survived so far, but at his center lives a very soft cinnamon roll of a boy who really just wants friends and falls very easily for the person who is nicest to them. He also has a bit of my snark – I usually describe him as a Hufflepuff who’s convinced he’s a Gryffindor, and I think that’s very accurate. That said, there’s a little bit of myself in all four – Haidee who can be a bit bossy, romance-loving Odessa, and Lan who really hates asking other people for help.

If Odessa, Lan, Haidee and Arjun lived in the modern world, what would their hobbies be?

Odessa would be an avid romance book blogger and would be The Ripped Bodice’s biggest customer. Haidee would still be a gearhead and work in auto shops and would absolutely have her own car that she’d built with her own hands. Lan would be very into fitness and martial arts, and would have tried to make a go for the Olympics at some earlier point in her life. Arjun would probably just like doing as little work as possible, staying in and playing video games (but would be horribly embarrassed for anyone to learn he helps out at soup kitchens on Saturdays)

Do you have any recommendations for other climate change related books?

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis, The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi! I don’t know if The Word for World is Forest by Ursula Le Guin counts, but I wanna give that a shoutout all the same!

Can you give us any hints as to what to expect from the sequel to The Never Tilting World?

Indiana Jones-style adventures. The arrival of more characters you’ve only been shortly introduced to in the first book. A lot more unraveling of the facts behind the goddess myths and their repercussions. More demonic shadows seeking blood, more politics. Arjun complaining about everything, and Haidee shutting him up. Unexpected deaths. And, as always, more chances for redemption!

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About the author:

Despite an unsettling resemblance to Japanese revenants, Rin always maintains her sense of hummus. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. Dances like the neighbors are watching.

She is represented by Rebecca Podos of the Helen Rees Agency. She is also fond of speaking in the third person, and may as well finish this short bio in this manner. While she does not always get to check her Goodreads page, she does answer questions posed to her here as promptly as she is able to. Find her at the following places instead:

Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Blog

For updates, events, and new releases, sign up for her newsletter at http://www.rinchupeco.com/newsletter.

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Thank you so much again to Rin Chupeco for doing this interview with me- it was an honour!

Goodreads | Twitter

Sereadipity Interviews… Brittni Chenelle! (Kingdom Cold Blog Tour)

Hello my bookish butterflies! Welcome to my first stop on the Kingdom Cold Blog Tour where I interview Brittni Chenelle about her book, Kingdom Cold.

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About the book:

Title: Kingdom Cold
Author: Brittni Chenelle
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: 14 February 2019
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:
Attempted murder, that’s how sixteen-year-old Princess Charlotte’s engagement starts. It seems like the only thing she has in common with Prince Young of Vires is their mutual discontent. When her kingdom’s attacked, Charlotte’s parents renegotiate her hand in marriage to a handsome stranger with a sinister plan. With the people Charlotte loves dying around her, and her kingdom’s future at stake, the only person she can turn to is the prince she betrayed. But, should she save her kingdom or her heart? One must fall.

Book links:
Amazon |Goodreads

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Interview:

What was the initial inspiration behind Kingdom Cold and how did your ideas change and develop whilst writing the book?

I think when I first started I knew I wanted to do an arranged marriage story but I kind of discovered the rest as I went. Luckily by books 2 and 3, I had a clearer idea of where it was going. I remember this one critical moment in the process when I realized I had the perfect opportunity to add a third POV but I was afraid because I planned on having only two. I ended up with 8 by the end of the series and I’m so happy I was brave enough to try it.

Which character to you most relate to and why?

Kingdom Cold is made up of morally gray characters. It’s easy to relate to because everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. The characters are the best and worst that humanity has to offer so I’m not sure I can pick just one.

Why do you think it’s important for there to be more books with diverse representation?

I don’t think it’s important, I think it’s essential. There are heroes from every culture, customs worth exploring, and other battles worth facing–ones that have yet to see the light of day. At times, the world feels so divided and unfair but fiction can be whatever we want it to be. Why not diverse?

If you had to pick three Kingdom Cold characters to go on a road trip with who would you pick and why?

Merlin, Minseo, and Leon probably. Merlin is the coolest character ever. She’s so strong and her magic so beautiful that I’d hardly notice the other two. Minseo because… well… for eye candy and the bard because he seems like the most fun.

Which books and authors do you think have influenced your writing?

Everyone. I read any fantasy I can get my hands on and I always feel so impressed and try to learn as much as possible.

What are your future writing projects and aspirations as an author?

My short term goals are to finish my new Academy Series, called The Fae & The Fallen, by the end of this year, as well as release a Greek Mythology novel that I’m co-writing and a surprise short story for Halloween. Long term I’d like to publish 12 books per year moving forward. Ultimately I’d like to see one of my stories turned into a Netflix movie or show. I think that would be really fun because I’d be partially responsible for improving representation in multiple industries.

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About the author:

Brittni Chenelle currently lives in Seoul, Korea, which inspires her multicultural fantasy books. Her favourite genres to read and write are young adult fantasy, young adult romance, fairytale retellings, and young adult dystopian novels. She’s very passionate about equal representation and makes a point to include characters from different backgrounds and cultures in her fantasy stories. Here are five fun facts about Brittni:

1. She lives in South Korea. It’s true. She does most of her updates in the morning or at night to account for the time difference. She also infuses most of her novels with her observations about Korean culture.
2. She’s a Type 1 Diabetic. She uses an insulin pump for survival and refers to her diabetes as “Beetie” which is what inspired her children’s book “Life with Beetie”. When she wants something from her parents she tells them, “My Beetie hurts.” It’s a trick that has never failed her.
3. She doesn’t really BELIEVE in fiction. Despite all the; Dragons, Elves, and Magic present in her novel “Involuted the Tale of the Red Ribbon Tree”, Brittni INSISTS that it’s a true story.
4. She’s OBSESSED with dark chocolate. She made me put that in and would also like me to inform you (on an unrelated note) that her birthday is in May.
5. Sorry guys, she’s married. If you ask her, she’ll tell you her husband saved her life but every time someone asks “how?” she gives a different reason. I’ve overheard her give about 4 different reasons, but I bet she has more. He must be an amazing guy.

Author links:
Author website (and newsletter) |Blog |Goodreads |Instagram |Facebook |Twitter

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Blog Tour Schedule:

Thank you so much to Caffeine Book Tours for choosing me to do this tour!

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Magic, Betrayal, Demons: Review of Shadow Frost

Book: Shadow Frost

Author: Coco Ma

Year Published: 2019

• Plot: 4.5/5
• Characters: 4/5
• Writing: 4/5
• Overall: 4/5

Shadow Frost was a fun, sizzling fantasy full of intrigue and betrayal and although it wasn’t perfect I still thoroughly enjoyed it!

Asterin Faelenhart, Princess of Axaria, was tasked along with her companions to vanquish a demon that was terrorizing the lands. However, there was much more to the situation than met the eye and the group of friends had to gradually uncover a web of secrets and lies.

Asterin was a headstrong, tenacious character who desperately wanted to prove she was worthy to one day be queen and make her mother proud. She was likeable at the start but some of the choices (especially one in particular) she made later on in the book really disappointed me and I honestly thought better of her! My favourite character was probably Rose because she seemed to be the most down-to-earth and was one of the kindest, smartest characters in the book. Quinlan fell into the classic, ‘love interest with a haunted past’ trope and I really felt bad for him because the poor thing was smitten with Asterin and she was the last to realise!

The main appeal Shadow Frost had was the fact paced, constantly changing plot. There were some shocking twists which I did not see coming and they kept me hooked right until the very end. I’m very excited to see how the story and characters will develop into the next book. Furthermore, I loved the elemental magic system!

Nevertheless, I had one giant, gaping problem with this novel. It kept emphasising how all of the characters were stereotypically attractive and it really annoys me when books do this because we are not all perfect as there is no such thing as perfection. Our diversity makes us beautiful. I don’t think it’s alright for books to promote the idea that everyone has to look gorgeous with big muscles or flowing hair or impeccable bone structure because it’s a ridiculous notion to live up to and is an unhealthy way of thinking. We need books about people of all shapes, colours and sizes.

Overall, Shadow Frost was an entertaining read and very impressive considering the author wrote the first draft at fifteen. It had a very similar vibe to Throne of Glass so if you liked that book, you’ll like this one too!

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Review: The Resurrectionist of Caligo

Book: The Resurrectionist of Caligo

Authors: Wendy Trimboli, Alicia Zaloga

Year Published: 2019

• Plot: 3/5
• Characters: 3/5
• Writing: 4/5
• Overall: 3/5

The Resurrectionist of Caligo was a Victorian fantasy and murder mystery with strong themes of medicine, grief and illness. It had a promising premise and although I liked the ideas in it, I felt slightly let down by it at the same time.

Roger Weathersby was a resurrectionist– a person who unlawfully unearthed corpses to sell on to medical schools. However, when he one day discovered a strange and horrifying corpse he began to follow the clues surrounding a string of terrible yet similar murders along with the help of his former friend, princess Sibylla, and together they went down a dark and dangerous path from which there was no return.

I liked the way Roger’s character was developed because although at first glance he seemed like a careless rogue he was actually a really kind person who just wasn’t very good at dealing with authority and had a knack for getting himself into messy situations. I liked the way he looked out for Ada and her mother.

Sibylla was interesting because she could seem petty at times but she did care deeply for her people. My only problem with her was that she wasn’t particularly memorable in any way. Now, when I think about the book I can’t think of one thing she did that really stood out to me or was very admirable. The dynamic between Roger and Sibylla was… weird. They did like (maybe love?) each other and though their relationship did grow stronger once more I felt like it didn’t really go anywhere.

Also, this novel had major pacing issues. I’m pretty sure around 68% of the way through it I found myself wondering whether the main story was going to get started yet, then realising to my horror that I’d already surpassed over half the book. It was extremely slow at the start and then at the end there was a few plot twists and reveals and that was it. The ending was ambiguous and while I sometimes appreciate books that are open-ended I didn’t like this one because it didn’t give me any sense of conclusion or leave me with any implications or thoughts to ponder over.

The Resurrectionist of Caligo is a creative yet flawed read. I think it’s worthwhile giving it a go- just don’t go in with very high expectations.

Thank you to Angry Robot for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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The Last Witchdoctor: Review of Kingdom of Souls

Book: Kingdom of Souls

Author: Rena Barron

Year Published: 2019

• Plot: 5/5
• Characters: 5/5
• Writing: 5/5
• Overall: 5/5

Kingdom of Souls was a tale of epic proportions set in a West African fantasy world full of magic and mystery. It was a captivating but also a very dark and heavy read that made me feel all of the emotions possible and it was so intense that at one point I just had to put the book down and process my turbulent feelings.

Arrah was born from two powerful witchdoctors but had no magic to call her own no matter how hard she tried or how much she wanted it. But when children started to go missing and an ancient evil began to resurface Arrah was prepared to make a great sacrifice to gain magical powers and protect the people she loved.

I liked Arrah’s determination and courage– even though she didn’t always make the right choices she had the best intentions at heart. It was also great to read a book about a character who wasn’t ‘the chosen one‘, who didn’t have power and glory handed to them on a plate and who had to pay a steep price for the power they desired.

Arrah didn’t quite know where she belonged and she was trapped between two worlds and cultures that both made her feel like a disappointment and I felt really bad for her as she tried so hard to live up to what she thought was expected of her. She was consumed by a need to possess magic and prove her worth, but it was ironic that when she finally achieved her goal she wished she could go back to her life without magic and appreciated all the things she didn’t before.

The other characters were all well-developed and endearing too. Rudjek was really cute and I loved his relationship with Arrah, and the whole ‘ill-fated lovers who the world has conspired against’ trope was done very well. Sukar and Essnai were also very kind, supportive friends.

I also liked how the more villainous characters like Arti or The Demon King were presented as multi-faceted characters with complex motivations. I even felt bad for Efiya, who was simply awful, because I think she was just a product of the environment and circumstances she grew up in.

Overall, Kingdom of Souls was a superb book full of rich, sprawling word building and a story that will sweep you away. It’s a book that I highly recommend and I am so excited to read it’s sequel!

Thank you to HarperVoyager UK for providing me with this gorgeous proof copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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