A Dance With Fate by Juliet Marillier

A young woman who is both a bard--and a warrior--seeks to repay her debts and settle scores in this thrilling historical fantasy series.

The young warrior and bard Liobhan has lost her brother to the Otherworld. Even more determined to gain a place as an elite fighter, she returns to Swan Island to continue her training. But Liobhan is devastated when her comrade Dau is injured and loses his sight in their final display bout. Blamed by Dau's family for the accident, she agrees to go to Dau's home as a bond servant for the span of one year.

There, she soon learns that Oakhill is a place of dark secrets. The vicious Crow Folk still threaten both worlds. And Dau, battling the demon of despair, is not an easy man to help.

When Liobhan and Dau start to expose the rot at the center of Oakhill, they place themselves in deadly danger. For their enemy wields great power and will stop at nothing to get his way. It will take all the skills of a Swan Island warrior and a touch of the uncanny to give them a hope of survival.

MY REVIEW: 4.5 Stars ⭐️ 

This second book was sooo good!! I mean I generally love Juliet Marillier books anyway so there’s that. There were a few animals things as y’all know I don’t condone, hence the 4.5 stars. 

The story is told in the three POV’s of Liobhan, Dau and Brocc and a few chapters with the POV of Eirne. 

One day during a practice, Dau gets hurt and loses his eyesight. The powers that be on the island had no idea not to contact Dau’s father. Poor Dau had a horrific childhood and ran away. BUT, his family is coming for him and ultimately bring him back home. Liobhan goes with him for reasons. Turns out it’s still horrific because of a certain family member. That person is beyond cruel and I so wanted this persons slow death, but I digress. 

Liobhan and Dau find out things are worse then they thought and with the help of Brocc and the crow people, justice will be done or they will die trying! 

I love these characters so much and I felt the book didn’t suffer from second book syndrome. If you enjoyed the first book then you should enjoy this book as well! 

**Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for a digital copy of this book. 

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.

Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?

Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.

MY REVIEW: 4 Stars ⭐️ 

Reread: Audio Narration Fantastic. Book: Viscous, Ruthless, Bloody, Dark, Sexy, Villainous.

Her dreams were a tangled mess of blood and shuddering trees

Everyday for the last three years, she had thought she deserved to die. She still didn’t want to. She wanted to live with every filthy, desperate scrap of her heart

In the darkest of the wood stands a house. The walls are caulked with blood. The roof is thatched with bones. Within that bloody house lived Old Mother Hunger, the first and eldest of all forestborn

There were three of them, all with rapiers, and she had only a dagger. It would have been a wretchedly uneven fight, if she were human.

It was still a wretchedly uneven fight; it was just in her favor.

"I killed somebody and I’m not sorry," she said, calmly and very distinctly. "I don’t think you want me on your alters unless blasphemy is the custom of your kingdom."

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

Return To Dyatlov Pass by J.H. Moncrieff

In 1959, nine Russian students set off on a skiing expedition in the Ural Mountains. Their mutilated bodies were discovered weeks later. Their bizarre and unexplained deaths are one of the most enduring true mysteries of our time.

Nearly sixty years later, podcast host Nat McPherson ventures into the same mountains with her team, determined to finally solve the mystery of the Dyatlov Pass incident. Her plans are thwarted on the first night, when two trackers from her group are brutally slaughtered.

The team’s guide, a superstitious man from a neighboring village, blames the killings on yetis, but no one believes him. As members of Nat’s team die one by one, she must figure out if there’s a murderer in their midst—or something even worse—before history repeats itself and her group becomes another casualty of the infamous Dead Mountain. (less)

MY REVIEW: 4 Stars ⭐️ 

"Are you aware of the note the searchers found in Dyatlov’s tent?" Steven asked.
Nat was, and she felt chilled in a way that had nothing to do with the cold. "It said, From now on we know that snowmen exist."

"The snowmen. This land belongs to the snowmen."

The woman fell backward, exposing a swollen face that was purple with bruises. Where her nose and eyes should have been were torn, bloody holes.

I read this book as part of my Horror Group Challenge! I started and couldn’t put it down. I must say I’m not sure how I feel with that ending. Anyhoo, I loved the book about what happened at Dyarlov’s Pass, I mean you never really know....

I loved all of the characters, some more than others, and naturally that’s not the thing to do in horror books! Sighhhhhhhh!

I love the take on what happened to the original people and what happened to this group of people and also what one of the guides mentions about his tribe and the situation.

All in all, I enjoyed the book! Thank you author, Glenn Rolfe for the recommendation!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

Rage And Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Dangerous secrets and forbidden desires lead to shocking consequences… Don’t miss book two of the fantastical Harbinger trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout.

“Jennifer L. Armentrout’s intoxicating new fantasy is her best yet!” — New York Timesbestselling author Gena Showalter on Storm and Fury 

A half human, half angel and her bonded gargoyle protector must work with demons to stop the apocalypse while avoiding falling in love. The Harbinger is coming…but who or what is it? All of humankind may fall if Trinity and Zayne can’t win the race against time as dark forces gather.

As tensions rise, they must stay close together and patrol the DC streets at night, seeking signs of the Harbinger, an entity that is killing Wardens and demons with no seeming rhyme or reason. Forbidden to be with each other, Zayne and Trinity fight their feelings and turn to unusual sources for help—the demon Roth and his cohorts. But as deaths pile up and they uncover a sinister plot involving the local high school and endangering someone dear to Zayne, Trin realizes she is being led…herded…played for some unknown end. As anger builds and feelings spiral out of control, it becomes clear that rage may be the ruin of them all.(less)

MY REVIEW: 4.5 Stars ⭐️ 

My God!! I forgot how much I love Gargoyles! Of course, I do have statues around my room, but I digress! 



Okay, so the Zayne in the book has long blonde hair, but this is my Zayne. 



I love the hell out of these characters! And in no way shape or form did I see that ending coming!! Although, I do always wonder why this one person ends up a bad guy in some books and movies 🤔

Anyhoo, I really looking forward to the next book!! Damn it!! 



Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

The House Of Styx by Derek Kunsken

The first in a ground breaking, action-packed and exciting new science fiction series from the best-selling author of The Quantum Magician.

Life can exist anywhere. And anywhere there is life, there is home.

In the swirling clouds of Venus, the families of la colonie live on floating plant-like trawlers, salvaging what they can in the fierce acid rain and crackling storms. Outside is dangerous, but humankind’s hold on the planet is fragile and they spend most of their days simply surviving.

But Venus carries its own secrets, too. In the depths, there is a wind that shouldn’t exist.

And the House of Styx wants to harness it.

MY REVIEW: 4.5 Stars ⭐️ 

Omg!! I didn’t know this book was going to make me cry!!



When I saw this book was a sci-fi book set around Venus I was hooked. This book was so much more than a space romp. This book is about family, politics, gender identity, corruption, mental health, drugs, love....... the Stars.

I loved all of the characters! Marthe ended up being my favorite!

And Venus, beautiful, deadly Venus. No one can live on you but they can live in your clouds and if they’re important, they can live a bit above your clouds.

Venus holds secrets that one awesome family discovers! But what will all of this lead to, how many will survive and die to find out the answers...

I’m excited for this new series and I can’t wait to have the physical copy in my hands!! The following excerpt isn’t set in stone as this is an advanced copy.

They all tested themselves against Venus, each according to their gifts, all in the process of becoming something else, something better. They might die. They each had lost loved ones to the clouds. And although Venus would resist them, although Venus herself did not know she was beautiful, they would show her.

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

** Thank you to Netgalley and Solaris Books for a digital copy of this book! 

Owlcrate June Unboxing

Here is the June Owlcrate unboxing!! I hope you enjoy! 

We have a habit tracker notepad below

The beautiful enamel pin of the month!! 

We have some Cirque du Freak Coffee which I will be giving away to bookish friend.

  We have a shower steamer which sounds totally cool!! 

Some Shakespearean Pencils

A Pencil Holder/Coin Bank inspired by The Night Circus

And we have the book of the month: Where Dreams Descend with a special edition cover, signed by the author and some cute stickers! 

I hope you guys enjoyed the pics and happy reading! 

Love,

Mel

The Memory Of Souls by Jenn Lyons

WHAT IF YOU'RE THE ONE WHO HAS TO DIE?

Now that the city of Atrine has been destroyed and Relos Var's plan to free the dark god Vol Karoth has been revealed—the end of the world is closer than ever.

To buy time for humanity, Kihrin, Janel, and Thurvishar must convince the king of the Manol vané to perform an ancient ritual that will strip the vané of their immortality—a ritual that certain vané will do anything to prevent. Including assassinating the ones bringing the news.

Worse, Kihrin must come to terms with the horrifying possibility that his connection to Vol Karoth is steadily growing in strength. How can Kihrin hope to save anyone when he might turn out to be the greatest threat of them all?


A Chorus of Dragons series 
The Ruin of Kings
The Name of All Things
The Memory of Souls (less

MY REVIEW: 4.5 Stars ⭐️ 

I love this series. Do they confuse the hell out of me? Yes! But, I still love them all the same. 

We have the different narrations and stories of all the characters. I love these characters so much and their banter together or if it’s just banter with a dragon is hilarious. 

I do plan on (hopefully) getting the special edition hardback from the UK to match the first two books. And for some reason, I thought this was the last book in a trilogy, but there are more books coming out! The ending to this book broke my heart but I’m not sure if things will stay that way. Sometimes things come back in this series. I’m not sure that will be a good thing or not...

We shall see...

I recommend to fantasy lovers that are okay with a book that includes a plethora of stories within stories! 

*Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the digital copy of this book. 

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

Fable by Adrienne Young

Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.

As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home seventeen-year-old Fable has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.

But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him and Fable soon finds that West isn't who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they're going to stay alive. 

MY REVIEW: 5 Beautiful Stars ⭐️ Favorites List 

This cover is so freaking beautiful!!

That bastard was leaving me again.

That first sentence had me! Although, this being an uncorrected copy, that line might change.

Fable is one of my new spirit animals!! I love her so much! She went through a lot in her young life and she’s just trying to find her way. A few years ago, her father left her on this horrible island to fend for herself. There were other people there but it was a pretty bad place.

At one point she leaves the island to look for her father. She makes a bargain with West, to ride out on his ship. Well, basically she has to but I can’t tell you why.

I fell right in love with each member of the Marigold crew! This journey was not the best or safest journey and there were a few rough things that happen.

And just when you think something good might happen, some twat messes it up!! That being said, there is a major cliffhanger, which is fine.

I can’t wait to add this hardback to my collection! A beautiful, thrilling, evil, loving, sexy book!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a digital copy of this book for review.

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

Blood And Rain by Glenn Rolfe

The light of a full moon reveals many secrets.

Gilson Creek, Maine. A safe, rural community. Summer is here. School is out and the warm waters of Emerson Lake await. But one man’s terrible secret will unleash a nightmare straight off the silver screen.
Under the full moon, a night of terror and death re-awakens horrors long sleeping.

Sheriff Joe Fischer, a man fighting for the safety of his daughter, his sanity and his community, must confront the sins of his past. Can Sheriff Fischer set Gilson Creek free from the beast hiding in its shadows, or will a small town die under a curse it can’t even comprehend?

One night can—and will—change everything

MY REVIEW: 4.5 Stars ⭐️ 

I read this book with my Horror Group, Horror Aficionados! Thank you to my wonderful friends over there for bringing me along for the ride. Thank you to Latasha for letting me borrow the book. I will be buying my own copy.



This book was like the old school werewolf movies and stories! It was bloody, brutal, sexy and hopeful. The characters were dead on and I loved them, the good and the bad. Okay, so the bad peeps can suck it but I digress.....

Recommend to all horror fans!



Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

FairyLoot May 2020

Well, I’m trying to do these posts on my phone instead of computer so it’s not as nice and I forgot and deleted all of the close ups. I will get it sorted next time... 

So here are the pics I do have and the list I wrote of the items 

This book wasn’t on my radar but it came today in my MAY FairyLoot (yes, still covid late)



Here’s a pic of the stuff with the exception of the bath salts. I tossed them off to the side and forgot to add them. Anyhoo...



1. Bookish Tin inspired by We Hunt The Flame
2. Bookish Wooden Spoon with a quote from Hero Of The Fall
3. Tea Towel inspired by The City Of Brass
4. Desert Bath Salts 
5. Tribal Desert Candle inspired by An Ember In The Ashes
6. Sunglasses Pouch with quote from The Forbidden Wish
7. Tarot Cards inspired by Throne of Glass
8. Art under dust jacket 

Hunted by Darcy Coates

s

She only went off the trail for a moment...

22-year-old Eileen goes missing while hiking in the remote Ashlough Forest. Five days later, her camera is discovered washed downriver, containing bizarre photos taken after her disappearance.

Chris wants to believe Eileen is still alive. When the police search is abandoned, he and four of his friends create their own search party to scour the mountain range. As they stray further from the hiking trails and the unsettling discoveries mount, they begin to believe they’re not alone in the forest… and that Eileen’s disappearance wasn’t an accident.

By that point, it’s too late to escape

MY REVIEW: 4 Stars ⭐️

It was immense. Seven feet at least. Clumped fur hung from broad shoulders to graze the ground. Luminous eyes glittered out from a twisted, shadowed, inhuman face. A long, clawlike appendage extended from its arm and shone in the torchlight. The creature reached out and scraped the claws against the tree’s trunk.

Soooo, things aren’t always what they seem peeps. 



I was sure this would be a 3 star book even though I do love Darcy Coates. BUT I fell in love with the gang of friends that went out to the forest to look for their friend that went missing. And to be honest, the end with cop Carla was awesome. The final end was sad but that’s how it goes... 

I read this for my Horror Group Challenge! 

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

Larry by Adam Milliard

Between 1975 and 1978, Larry 'Pigface' Travers terrorised Camp Diamond Creek, killing more than a hundred horny, stoned teens, hacking them to death with his axe (the machete was already taken by some hockey guy over in New Jersey), and making a general nuisance of himself. Life couldn't have been better for a psycho slasher. But in '78, after being outwitted by that year's 'final girl', Pigface found himself trapped (and a little bit on fire). Presumed dead, Larry Travers disappeared, but his legend lived on. It's 2014. Now living in the woods with his overbearing - and slightly antique - mother, Larry's old enough to play bingo and enjoy jigsaw puzzles without feeling guilty. But the urge to kill has returned, and Larry thinks he still has what it takes to be a homicidal lunatic. Pigface is back. Trouble is, he's not as young as he used to be

MY REVIEW: 4.5 Stars ⭐️Favorites 

Omg! I read this book on kindle unlimited and then bought it. This book was part of my horror group challenge. I’ve laughed my ass off! This is a gory yet funny slasher. And the references to other horror movies, etc, was awesome! 



Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

Little Universes by Heather Demetrios

One wave: that’s all it takes for the rest of Mae and Hannah Winters’ lives to change.

When a tsunami strikes the island where their parents are vacationing, it soon becomes clear that their mom and dad are never coming home. Forced to move to Boston from sunny California for the rest of their senior year, each girl struggles with secrets their parents’ death has brought to light, and with their uncertainty about the future. Instead of bringing them closer, it feels like the wave has torn the sisters apart. 

Hannah is a secret poet who wants to be seen, but only knows how to hide. The pain pills she stole from her dead father hurl her onto the shores of an addiction she can’t shake and a dealer who turns her heart upside down. When it’s clear Hannah’s drowning, Mae, a budding astronaut suddenly launched into an existential crisis—and unexpected love—must choose between herself and the only family she has left

MY REVIEW: 

5 Stars!⭐️  Favorites List

OMG!





This book pulls on so many feels I can’t even!!



Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

114 likes

The Sword Of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

A mother struggling to repress her violent past,
A son struggling to grasp his violent future,
A father blind to the danger that threatens them all.

When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?

High on a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire’s enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name ‘The Sword of Kaigen.’

Born into Kusanagi’s legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: to master his family’s fighting techniques and defend his homeland. But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen’s alleged age of peace, Mamoru realizes that he might not have much time to become the fighter he was bred to be. Worse, the empire he was bred to defend may stand on a foundation of lies.

Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house. Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country. But with her growing son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of an impending invasion looming across the sea, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface. (less)

MY REVIEW:

5 Favorite Stars ⭐️ 

Holy shit!!!!!!!!! I can’t!!!! I’m having a damn panic attack I’m so hyped up on this damn book!! Someone run over and buy me the paperback!! This is going on my shelf, I don’t just want the kindle. I’m getting it in July!!! And I missed out on all that swag 😫. Damn it all to hell!! I’ve actually had this book on my kindle for awhile but like most things kindle it takes awhile. But, when I started out with the book, I couldn’t get into it. I was on crack apparently but my sweet friend told me to push on so I’m naming her as a recommendation and I love her for telling me to keep going!! Anyhoo....

I freaking love, Misaki!!!!!!!!!

And for the moment, Misaki let herself be thankful for the thing she was. After all, a lady wouldn’t have been able to slice a man’s legs out from under him and then plunge a blade into his mouth when he opened it to scream. A mother wouldn’t have been able to cut a young woman’s head from her shoulders. A human being wouldn’t have been able to turn from their dismembered corpses without a single pang of guilt.

Thank the Gods she was a monster.

Omg!! Why 😫



Omg!!!!!! 



THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING!! WENT TO FAVORITES LIST!! MISAKI IS MY SPIRIT ANIMAL!! 

"You lost your right to my obedience when you stopped being a man!" Misaki cut him off. "If you want me to go back to the house, you’ll have to fight me. I’ve stood by too long while you disgraced yourself, but this—this is the last time you will be weak in front of me. One of us is going to rest here with our son. Draw!

Read the damn book!! 

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

99

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

 What was it like? Living in that house.

Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.

Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.

In the latest thriller from New York Timesbestseller Riley Sager, a woman returns to the house made famous by her father’s bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound—and dangerous—secrets hidden within its walls? 

MY REVIEW:

4.5 stars!

Because this is a mood!

I thought it was a man, although I couldn’t be sure. Details were sparse. All I could make out was a distinctly human shape standing in the forest a few feet from the treeline.

I highly enjoyed this book! The creepiness of it, the 'what the hell' moments, they were just what I expected from Riley Sager. AND, naturally with his books, I went one way with all of the answers and he went somewhere else totally!

On to the next, Mr. Sager, I’m waiting .......

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

139 likes