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melanielocke · 1 year

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Book recommendations: Chain of Thorns hangover

Since I think a lot of you have finished Chain of Thorns by now I figured I'd make a book recommendation post with books that I think will appeal to people who are trying to get over Chain of Thorns. Most of the books here I've talked about before, but I made the selection that I think will appeal the most to ChoT readers.

First up: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Why this book?: It has thorns in the title. Also the main couple, the humor and the story would appeal to fans of TID in particular. Nathaniel reminds me of Will somewhat.

Sorcery of Thorns is a second world fantasy set in Austermeer. Elisabeth Scrivener grew up in one of the country's great libraries, where grimoires are kept, living books that contain magic spells used by sorcerers, and she wants nothing more than to become a warden, a sword wielding librarian who keeps the books but also protects the world from these books since some of them can be quite dangerous.

When Elisabeth intervenes in an act of sabotage and slays a very dangerous grimoire, she is implicated in the crime and taken to the city's capital by Nathaniel Thorn, a sorcerer she distrusts, and his demon servant Silas. She has no choice but to work with Nathaniel to uncover a conspiracy targeting the great libraries.

Nathaniel and Elisabeth are one of my favorite m/f couples. Nathaniel is bi, and the author has said she likes playing with feminitiy and masculinity in her m/f couples. Elisabeth is essentially a "lady himbo" who likes swords and armor, and is taller and more muscular than Nathaniel, with Nathaniel being a bit more feminine at times (in the sequel novella he wears a lady's dressing gown).

The third major character is Silas, an aroace demon who works for Nathaniel as a servant and gives him his magic in exchange for some of his life. I love him as a character and his dynamic with the other two, and Elisabeth has a very beautiful platonic relationship with him.

Mysteries of Thorn Manor is a sequel novella that just came out. It is essentially an extended epilogue with a new story where Elisabeth and Nathaniel get trapped in Thorn Manor and have to figure out how to appease the house. It is an adorable little book but with the tiny size it's difficult to find a good spot for it with the other books.

Next: A Marvellous Light & A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

Why this book?: horny queers in the Edwardian era, book 2 also features a rude pet parrot (keep in mind, this book is adult and has some pretty explicit sex in it)

I've discussed this series before here, but I hadn't read a Restless Truth yet when I wrote that. The series is a trilogy, with currently two books out and the third coming November this year.

Each book focuses on a different couple, but you do have to read them in order since they're also trying to get to the bottom of a magical conspiracy in each book.

Book 1 focuses on Edwin and Robin, which is essentially a himbo/librarian couple. Robin is the himbo in this case, who works a government job and is accidently assigned to a post related to Britain's secret magician society. Usually, this post is held by non magic people with magic relatives, like his predecessor who mysteriously vanished. His magic coworker Edwin decides to wipe Robin's memory and replace him, but then Robin gets cursed by people who think he knows where a magic artefact his predecessor hid is, and Robin and Edwin have to break the curse and figure out what he's after.

Edwin is a magician, but he is a very weak magician. He makes up for this by being clever and very precise with his magic, and inventing new techniques, and this is very different from what I'm used to which is main character (or magic love interest) is the one who most powerful ever.

Book 2 is a sapphic book focusing on Maud and Violet and they are based on the rake/wallflower trope.

Maud is Robin's younger sister, who travels on a ship a la Titanic from America to the UK with an old lady who is important for the magic conspiracy. Only the old lady dies the first day and Maud has to turn to Violet, a scandalous young actress who is a magician specializing in illusions. Compared to book 1, book 2 is even more sexual, but in a hilarious way. Maud was raised a proper Edwardian lady, but is now first experimenting with her own sexuality and I loved the way this was portrayed. There's also a side character (who will be the love interest in book 3), who writes porn as a side hustle and Maud has to purchase his entire supply of porn to secure his cooperation.

The relationship between Violet and Maud also starts with Violet thinking, oh this girl is seeking to explore her own sexuality, let's help with that. No way I'm catching feelings.

The third book, coming in November, will focus on Jack Alson (lord Hawthorn) and Alan Ross who were side characters in book 2 and Hawthorn also appeard in book 1, but also feature Violet & Maud en Edwin & Robin.

Third: A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth

Why?: Urban fantasy, ensemble cast with lots of queer characters, complex plot in a longer series

I think this is more similar to the modern day shadowhunter books, since it is set in the present, but I think it will appeal to fans of tlh too.

The series has 5 main characters, and in the first book they have to figure out why ironborn (half fae) are dying, which no one else really seems to care about.

Arlo is an ironborn, with her mother being part of the royal family of unseelie spring, which is the ruling family over all fae right now. As an ironborn, she's threatened to be cast out of the fae world, her memories erased, if she doesn't have enough magic. She's very soft, but also determined, and seeking a path for herself and I think overall she's the main character of the series.

Nausicaa is an ex fury who was cast out from the furies because she killed a bunch of people she wasn't supposed to. She's very morally grey and kind of an asshole, but in a funny and likeable way, and she develops a weak spot for Arlo, who becomes her love interest.

Vehan is the prince of seelie summer. He's sweet and very naive and doesn't realize his mom is evil. He feels very isolated because his best friend, Aurelian, who is also in love with, seems to be pulling away from him and he feels like no one really cares about him. He is determined to solve the ironborn murders in book 1 because no one else wants to try.

Aurelian is Vehan's bodyguard and he's kind of the brooding guy. He's very protective of Vehan, but also pulls away from him because of a secret he's keeping to protect Vehan. They have been best friends for long, but he was essentially forced to become Vehan's guard so now their relationship is difficult.

Celadon is the final main character and he gets his own POV from book 2, and will be very important in book 3 I think (he's on the cover). He's a prince of unseelie spring and Arlo's cousin, and he's very popular. There's a fandom of him called the "Celadom". Vehan in particular is a big fan and has posters of Celadon in his room. Celadon is also Arlo's best friend, which is how he's introduced in book 1.

Book 3 is coming out this September, and the cover was just revealed this week

Then: A Blade so Black by L.L. McKinney

Why this book?: demon slaying (well, nightmares in this case), great cast of characters

Like A Dark and Hollow Star, this would likely appeal more to fans of the modern day shadowhunters as it's set in modern day Atlanta, and follows Alice who was chosen to battle nightmares, monsters that come from Wonderland into our world.

She's trained by her attractive mentor Hatta, but when he is poisoned she has to travel deeper into wonderland to find a cure while also maintaining her school, and keep her very protective mother from figuring out what's going on.

The third book is coming out in April, I think only in US hardcover (while I have the UK paperbacks so that sucks), but I'm still curious to see how this story ends.

It's fast paced with lots of action, but also balanced with Alice' homelife as a teenager and her trying to figure out how to disappear into Wonderland for a week without her mom finding out.

And last: The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

Why this book?: high stakes, great cast of mostly queer characters, funny and chaotic characters

I've talked about this book before. Several times. But it's just that good. So here I am, trying to convince you once more why you should read the Sunbearer Trials.

The main character is Teo, a jade transgender demigod son of the goddess of birds.

"I am a being of chaos, fueled by spite and antidepressants"

Every 10 years, the sunbearer trials are held, with ten semidioses participating. The winner becomes the new sunbearer and replenishes the sunstones so the sun doesn't die out. The loser gets sacrificed.

Usually, only gold semidioses are chosen to participate. These are the children of the most powerful gods, who can shoot fire out of their hands or move earth, things like that.

This time, there are two jade semidoses chosen to participate. Teo, and Xio, the son of the god of bad luck who has no powers. Meanwhile, Teo can talk to birds. Together with Teo's best friend Niya, the gold daughter of the earth god, they will have to fight to survive against much more powerful semidioses.

@alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @life-through-the-eyes-of @astriefer @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @amchara @all-for-the-fanfiction @imsoftforthomastair @ddepressedbookworm @queenlilith43 @wagner-fell @cant-think-of-anything @laylax13s @tessherongraystairs @boredfangirl16 @artist-in-soul @beyondlifebeyonddeath @ikissedsmithparker

#sorcery of thorns #mysteries of thorn manor #margaret rogerson #freya marske #a marvellous light #a restless truth #a dark and hollow star #a cruel and fated light #a grim and sunken vow #ashley shuttleworth #a blade so black #a dream so dark #l.l. mckinney #the sunbearer trials #aiden thomas #book recommendations #chain of thorns

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black-is-beautiful18 · 2 years

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there's an afrofuturism tv series coming to hulu being adapted from this book called Binti by this nigerian author

a book series called A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is coming as a tv series to ABC studios

we've always wanted more black fantasy to come to big screen and its finally happening. thank god for black panther for setting the road for this

Oh wait! Binti is being made into a show?! I gotta make a list cuz all the other ones always leave out books to movie adaptations made by Black authors.

LegendBorn by Tracy Deonn is getting a show

Children of Blood and Bone is being made into a movie and the script is written by the author aka Tomi Adeyemi

I also think The Nightmare Verse by L.L. McKinney is being made into a show/movie as well.

There are more and when I find them imma make that list.

#book to movie #book to tv #black authors #a song of wraiths and ruin #rosanne a. brown #l.l. mckinney #a blade so black #children of blood and bone #tomi adeyemi #binti #nnedi okorafor #legendborn by tracy deonn #legendborn #tracy deonn #unique writes

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readingrobin · 1 year

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This month started off at a real drag and didn't really kick up until probably the near end of it. Looks like I read about maybe 800 pages more than last month, yet still covered the same amount of books. I'm gonna chalk that up to the good amount of DNFs I had for this month. It's a downer when that happens, but hey it's going to happen. I will say that I'm glad I ended this month on a high note with a book I really enjoyed that I've been meaning to get around to for a while.

Total Books Read: 6

Total Pages Read: 2,965

Total DNFs: 4

Books Read:

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn (4.75/5) - The only downside of the book is a somewhat rushed climax, which was an issue I had with Legendborn as well but, other than that....Oh my god, Bloodmarked took everything Legendborn did and took it to another level. Dynamics get more complex, institutions that were sketchy become full on villainous, and, in the end, Bree takes on such a risky, yet understandable move that I'm eagerly waiting to see the fallout of. Deonn expands upon the themes of generational trauma and grief, concentrating on, now that Bree can recognize these things in her own history, how does that affect her personally? How does she, as an individual, relate to all these expectations and duties brought onto her by her ancestors? Bree's reflection on these ties continue to make her such an engaging, powerful character I love to watch develop. We see new sides of the Rootcrafter community, and I gotta say, I love the new character Valec. I may be a bit biased since I love charismatic infernal dealmakers, but I hope we see more from him as well. As much as I loathe love triangles, the connection between Bree, Nick, and Sel never really bothered me. I've found that, if the two love interests have an already established relationship, the love triangle becomes a little more digestable, as their whole dynamic doesn't thrive off any jealousy or competition for someone's love. This book only fueled my need for a Bree/Sel relationship, but I would hate for Nick to go by the wayside.

Scurry by Mac Smith (4/5) - If you were a Warrior cats fan as a kid, this graphic novel is definitely for you. In a post-apocalyptic world, house mice try to survive through scraps found in abandoned houses, but resources are dwindling. They must venture from their home, with the threat of cats, wolves, and other dangers that lay beyond in the forest. The art is absolutely phenomenal, very cinematic with great lighting. Give it a try if you're a fan of animal survival fiction like Watership Down or Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.

Shadow Weaver by MarcyKate Connolly (2/5) -Just a very middle of the road middle grade sort of book. While I appreciated the dark tone, there was nothing really that hooked me in. Emmeline seemed totally oblivious to her shadow's darker nature right up until the story decided that it was time to get suspicious. Apparently putting a man in a coma near the very beginning didn't set off any alarm bells. I understand that their relationship may have affected her shortsightedness, but almost every piece of dialogue her shadow has is a big red flag. Even kid me probably would have given Emmeline a big side eye at how she kept dismissing the shadow's clear malevolence. Though I have to say, without spoilers, once we learn of the shadow's motivations, I can't blame her for being the way she is. I'm probably not going to read the sequel because I simply don't have enough interest, but I hope she gets her slay girl slay moment. But, given that this is series targeted towards children, probably not.

The Book That No One Wanted to Read by Richard Ayoade (3/5) - About as funny as you're going to get with a comedic talent like Richard Ayoade. it's a sweet junior fiction about a book that doesn't want to be read and has some great observational humor from a book's perspective. Tor Freeman's illustrations are a great addition here, adding to the humor and giving the book more character.

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle by Victoria Williamson (4/5) - Always had a soft spot for stories featuring two characters from different worlds who come together and find that they have more in common than they realized. Caylin and Reema are two characters that know the trauma of loss, to varying degrees sure, but they know what it means to lose someone dear to you. They bond through caring for an injured fox, sympathizing with a creature that is deemed unwanted by society and has access to a kind of freedom they long for. Though getting off to a rocky start, the two develop a close friendship, bringing out the best in each other and staying resilient in troubled times. An inspirational story for sure, great for helping children empathize with refugee stories and introducing them to the harder aspects of life certain children go through.

The Scapegracers by H.A. Clarke (5/5) (Review)

DNFs:

Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan - I was almost halfway in without really connecting to the characters, plot, or writing style. It takes a while for things to happen and even then, the action seems to drag a bit. Once I noticed that I was skimming more than actually taking in information, I decided to stop. There are some really good bits of dialogue here and there, but it wasn’t enough for me to keep reading.

A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney - I think I knew I was in trouble when there were two time skips, one three months and another a year, within the first 50 pages. We pass right by Alice’s training to fight against Nightmares, as well as her learning more about Wonderland, which really didn’t set the story off at a good pace. It also didn’t help that the book opens with the protagonist immediately in danger, which is somewhat of a bookish pet peeve for me. Without the proper build-up, it makes the moment seem so much emptier and it’s difficult to feel for the character that’s still an absolute stranger to us. I also wasn’t a fan of the author skipping through what could have been great character development between Alice and Hatta and worldbuilding in favor of getting to the action faster. As a result, I felt forced into a world that felt like it was making itself up as it went along. I wanted to be learning about Wonderland and all its history and eccentricities alongside her, not in retrospect. I also didn’t believe the attachment between Alice and Hatta because we don’t see it develop naturally. Hatta goes from stranger, to mentor she has a crush on, to no way I don’t have a crush on him but mayyyyybbeee and that’s all we really see of their dynamic in the beginning. The fact that I have to wait 1/3 of a book to get to actual plot is kind of a breaking point here. I wish I liked it more, because it does sound like a cool concept, but I think it’s all lost on me.

The Ember’s Lantern by Colleen Houck - Given that I had read Houck's Tiger’s Curse series way back when in high school and loved it, I figured I would feel the same way about a story that attempts to exude spookiness and Halloween vibes. What I didn’t expect was for it to, well, fall supremely smack on its face. I don’t know if my tastes have changed over the years, but I didn’t recall her style feeling so bland and empty. There’s nothing that gives any personality or atmosphere to the writing. It’s mostly simple statements, descriptions, and maybe some internal feelings, but it feels rare. I never really felt entrenched in the world that was being built, and, despite some interesting lore behind the lanterns, it never felt properly realized. Also, Ember was too frustrating as a lead character. She kept making poor decision after poor decision that, without a plot security net, would have definitely gotten her killed immediately. I think her stubbornness was meant to come off as endearing, but it was more of a hindrance.

Thirst No. 1 by Christopher Pike - Bought this book years ago during my teenage vampire craze and yeah, so many of them I got during that phase have NOT held up. I didn’t feel anything for Alisa, a protagonist that has a self-proclaimed “expertise in everything” and as much charisma and personality as a pale block of wood. She’s a five thousand year old vampire that was a little too ready to jump into a jacuzzi naked with an 18 year old boy in order to manipulate him for information, who naturally becomes her love interest. Ultimately, I think she might have worked better in an adult series, with her unlikability possibly working in her favor, but in this direction, she just seemed entirely superficial.

Average Rating: (3.79/5)

#robin's book log #reading wrap up #bloodmarked #scurry #shadow weaver #the fox girl and the white gazelle #the scapegracers #wolfsangel #a blade so black #the ember's lantern #thirst #monthly wrap up

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sincerelyveronica · 1 year

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How’s everybody’s Tuesday evening going so far?

I’m sitting on the couch, sipping some wine and reading my kindle. Currently reading: A Blade So Black (The Nightmare-Verse series) from L.L McKinny. It’s a modern version of Alice and Wonderland. I really like it so far! My husband is cooking tonight and the smells of delicious food are filling the den. It’s giving a cozy vibe and I’m here for it! I hope you enjoy the rest of your night my book buddies.

-XOXO

Sincerely,

Veronica

#sincerelyveronica #tuesday #dinnertime #winelife #kindle #married life #bibliophile #book blog #book photography #bookblr #booksbooksbooks #bookworm #A Blade So Black #black authors #alice and wonderland

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bookcoversonly · 4 days

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Title: A Blade So Black | Author: L.L. McKinney | Publisher: Square Fish (2019)

#books #A Blade So Black #L.L. McKinney

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anominous-user · 1 month

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hsr version of this meme

#honkai star rail #bronya rand #hsr seele #hsr acheron #black swan #screwllum #hsr blade #dan heng #bronseele #acheswan #svarllum #that one is more implied than anything #screwllum x svarog #renheng #listen. listen #i tried thinking of something for the wholesome disasters/mlms slot but there literally wasn't anything #so have a wall of text.#once again #this was funnier in my head

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baeshijima · 11 days

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and what if i tell u i lost my sanity and destroyed the world

what then

#may the stars guide you <3 #THROWING THE FUCK UP ????????#HEAD IN HANDS IM SODBFJF #its an offline event…. but i need them…..#also blade being the only one to wear black so true king 🫶#AND A CAPE ??? sniffle sobs hes serving so good

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121231212i · 12 days

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"let's all wear white and not tell Blade."

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zombie-bait · 4 months

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The Blade of Frontiers??? On MY dashboard???? More likely than you’d think

#Bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 wyll #wyll ravengard #bg3 act 1 #bg3 fanart #wyll fanart #i’m sad i’m not romancing him :((#he’s just a little guy #also did I give him black nail polish cuz I didn’t want to render normal nails?#Maybe #but also he’s my emo gorl of choice so #I’m also currently playing a Warlock who’s created a heroic persona to help citizens in my irl D&D campaign #So I’m a lil bit biased #the blade of frontiers #is this a spoiler??#it happens pretty early on

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aenreth · 2 years

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Elden Ring fan art by Victor Garcia

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melanielocke · 1 year

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Book recommendations: can't wait for the next book

A while back I did a post with complete series. This time I figured I'd do a post with a couple of series that have another book coming in 2023 instead. Or, well, presumably 2023, since for some of them I'm not 100% sure about when the next book is coming out, but if I do know I'll list it. I also considered putting Legendborn in here, but I don't own Legendborn, my sister does and at the time of taking this picture I didn't have access to her books, that series would fit this category too. Let me know if there are any other sequels you're waiting for! This certainly isn't all of mine, but I picked a couple of books that I hadn't covered yet (and one I am repeating, but bear with me)

First up is the Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman. The Ivory Key is the first book in a duology and is set in a world inspired by India. This country depends on magic to protect itself from foreign invaders, but they keep magic in a vault underneath the palace and it is running out. Vira is the Queen of Ashoka and is desperate for solution. She discovers that there are more vaults with magic, locked by the ivory key that she'll have to find. Desperate, she asks her siblings for help. They agree, but each have their own motivation for wanting to find the key. While Vira wants to save her country, Ronak wants to sell the key to the highest bidder to escape a political marriage and their younger sister Riya wants to give the key to the rebels to prove her loyalty to them. Their oldest half brother Kaleb was falsely imprisoned for murdering the former queen, and needs it to prove his innocence. The book has a quest to find this key and four siblings who are all working together but also against each other for their own goals and splits its POVs between the four siblings.

The book shown on the picture is the UK edition and the US edition has a different cover. Book 2, the Crimson Fortress, comes out 1 August 2023.

Next I have the Hollow Star Saga by Ashley Shuttleworth. There are currently two books out in this series which are a Dark and Hollow Star and a Cruel and Fated Light.

This series is set in modern day Toronto and features a world with fae courts that hide themselves from humans. It follows four main characters who end up tangled up in te same mystery.

Arlo is an ironborn, a half fae whose mother is a princess in the most important royal family of fae, but because she's half human she is an outcast in her family.

Nausicaa is an ex fury who was cast out of the immortals for killing a bunch of people, known as the dark star.

Vehan is the prince of the Seelie Summer Court, which is a different royal family than Arlo's from. He is dutiful, but naive and has no idea that his mother is evil.

Aurelian is Vehan's best friend and body guard, whose relationship with Vehan is strained because of a secret he has to keep.

The first book follows these characters as they investigate a series of ironborn murders no one else seems to care about. Vehan especially is passionate about finding the culprit, whereas Nausicaa is only really helping out because people are “—runnin’ around accusing perfectly innocent assholes of assholery they’ve been actively trying to avoid.” as said by Nausicaa in the book. Seriously, she's hilarious. Things get a lot more intense in book two, which I won't give too much away about. Book 2 also adds Celadon to the main cast (he was already important in book 1 but gets a POV in book 2)

All the major characters in this book are queer, with Arlo being questioning, Nausicaa's a lesbian, Vehan's bisexual and Aurelian's gay.

The next book is a Grim and Sunken Vow and is scheduled for fall 2023, but the exact date is as of yet unknown. After that there will be one more book.

I know I've already talked about the Sunbearer Trials but this book is so great it bears repeating.

I already summarized the story, a group of semidioses doing a competition where the loser dies, so I figured I'd talk a little more abot my favorite character Aurelio. Aurelio is the son of Lumbre, diosa of fire, and has a twin sister Auristela. Most people don't really like Auristela since she is not very nice and needs to be the best at everything, but Aurelio is really close with his sister. As a child he was really shy and awkward and he ended up befriending Teo but at some point he kind of stopped talking to Teo so now they're awkward ex friends. Aurelio is very dutiful and literal and sometimes I feel like he might be autistic. He is also Teo's love interest though that is something that develops slowly.

If you haven't read this book yet, I'd seriously recommend it. Book 2, which should be the last one, is as of yet untitled and has no release date. It currently says 2023 but I can't guarantee it'll be published that year. I sure hope so though, with how the last one ended.

A Blade so Black is a little older than the other books here, but for some reason it took a while for the third book to come out, I'm not completely sure what happened here. There are currently two books out, a Blade so Black and a Dream so Dark. I have the UK editions but I'm honestly not sure if there will be a UK edition of book 3 since there was so much time between the last release and this one, so if you're very passionate about having a matching set I'd recommend getting the US hardcovers as the third book will release in that edition.

This trilogy is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland in which Alice is a modern day bi Black girl living in Atlanta, juggling her strict and protective mother and a high maintenance best friend with her secret job of killing nightmares, which are monsters born from wonderland that slip into our world. When her mentor Hatta (who I'm pretty sure is supposed to be the Mad Hatter) gets poisoned, Alice has to go deeper into wonderland than she's ever been to find a cure. In the olden days, a lot of YA contemporary fantasy books were very vague about the role of parents. Lots of parents who had no clue what there kids were up to also didn't really pay attention and just let them do whatever? To be fair, that could have been my parents. But for a lot of people and that was not very realistic. Alice' mom is very protective, and for good reason, but does not know what's going on in Alice' life and Alice regularly has to make excuses for her absences or have her best friend Courtney cover for her and the books balance the adventures in Wonderland quite well with Alice having to keep up her normal teenage life.

The third book, a Crown so Cursed will 11 April 2023

Last but not least is the Gilded Ones trilogy, with currently two books out, the Gilded Ones and the Merciless Ones.

Deka lives in a small village in a very misogynistic world where at her sixteenth birthday, she will be checked for the color of her blood to see if she is pure or not. When her blood runs gold, she knows she will be killed. Only Deka doesn't die. In fact, the villagers kill her many different ways and every time Deka wakes up, until a woman travels to her village and offers her the choice to come with her and fight in an army of alaki, girls like her who are near immortal.

But nothing is quite as it seems, not even what Deka believes is the greatest threat to her country.

This book is an interesting fantasy that focused primarily on misogynie from the POV of a Black woman (although racism as we know it isn't really a thing in this world). In the second book, there is also some exploration of rad fem/terf ideology and how simply hating and turning against all men/amab people is not a good way of dealing with oppression, and one of the older alaki is revealed to be a trans woman.

#the ivory key #Akshaya Raman #a dark and hollow star #a cruel and fated light #ashley shuttleworth #the sunbearer trials #aiden thomas #a blade so black #a dream so dark #l.l. mckinney #the gilded ones #the merciless ones #namina forna #book recommendations #ongoing series

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black-is-beautiful18 · 2 years

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I’m trying to read more books by Black authors, and was wondering if you had some good recommendations to add to my list? I just found your blog, and it’s really awesome! Also Thank you for spreading the word about how horrible the hate has gotten towards Leah. I would have had no idea otherwise.

You’re welcome. And as for books I’ll give you a list. Warning, I read most YA but I’m sure there’s some adult and other genres mixed in there:

1. You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

2. LegendBorn by Tracy Deonn

3. BloodMarked by Tracy Deonn (Out November 8th)

4. A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Marrow

5. A Chorus Rises by Bethany C. Marrow

6. So Many Beginnings: The Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Marrow

7. A Blade So Black by L. L. McKinney

8. A Dream So Dark by L. L. McKinney

9. Wings Of Ebony by J. Elle

10. Ashes Of Gold by J. Elle

11. The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

12. The Everlasting Rose by Dhonielle Clayton

13. Charming As A Verb by Ben Philippe

14. Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon (Adult)

I have more, cuz my TBR is pretty long, so let me know if you want more.

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elysiansugar · 6 days

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Postal 1, Postal Dude " Life is cheap--death is free! Act now! Supplies are limited! (Offer void in Arizona) "

🩸 🥾 👁️

🔫 🙍 🔫

👁️ 🥾 🩸

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sincerelyveronica · 1 year

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A Blade So Black-Review

I finished this book a few weeks ago. I had an interesting journey with this book. In the beginning, I started reading the e-book because it was available for my kindle. I did see the audiobook but I really wanted to force myself to read the e-book. I did take a while to get through it, reading a chapter every morning. But, my loan time was running out, so I switched to the audiobook after getting to chapter 8. Needless to say, I did like the book and really appreciated the imagination. Per usual, let's give you the summary.

Summary:

The Nightmare Verse Series 1-

The first time the Nightmares came, it nearly cost Alice her life. Now she's trained to battle monstrous creatures in the dark dream realm known as Wonderland with magic weapons and hardcore fighting skills. Yet even warriors have a curfew.

Life in real-world Atlanta isn't always so simple, as Alice juggles an overprotective mom, a high-maintenance best friend, and a slipping GPA. Keeping the Nightmares at bay is turning into a full-time job. But when Alice's handsome and mysterious mentor is poisoned, she has to find the antidote by venturing deeper into Wonderland than she’s ever gone before. And she'll need to use everything she's learned in both worlds to keep from losing her head . . . literally.

4/5 Stars

A Blade So Black was truly a unique retelling of Alice in Wonderland. I really loved the imagination and world-building that went into this book. It's a different concept then the classic story and much of its imagery reminded me of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland movie. I really enjoyed that Alice Kingston was from Atlanta. I loved being able to know what parts of ATL she was in at certain scenes. Y'all know that I love me complicated and layered characters. Alice's character didn't disappoint!

Alice was definitely layered in a way that I didn't expect. I won't go too much into spoilers but I will talk about this one plot point. I find it relevant to my current thoughts. In the beginning of the book, Alice is running away from the hospital after receiving news that her father passed away. The grief that Alice carries throughout the book was heavy. There are other things that contribute to her grief but the death of her father was the biggest factor. I found myself remembering my own grief at times. I could remember exactly the way my heart would constrict or how I would fight so hard to keep my grief at bay. That was something I really understood with Alice. She didn't want to break down because if she did, she didn't know how she could pick up the pieces of her broken heart. She didn't want her grief to reminder her of the finality of it all. I got that, deeply. You could tell the author had as well. She poured her heart into those moments and really expressing the ways grief clings to your heart. It was something I didn't expect in the story but appreciated the character moreso.

This story was really action packed and Alice was literally saving Wonderland and the rest of the world. She really had no time to break down. We all know that storing away your emotions doesn't get you far. It lead to A LOT of angst. This was my only take away. I really don't have patience for angst as I use to. Obviously, this book is a YA book. So the teenage angst was at an all-time high. I found myself getting really frustrated with the angsty dialogue. I understand that teenagers are full of it. But it can really get annoying after a while.

Aside from that, the book really picked up and surprised me with its ending. I'm very curious to see where the rest of the series goes. It's a great fantasy starter if you're looking for a new series to get into. I really appreciated the diversity and I loved the Black Girl magic lead. As I said before, I want to read more black stories with black girl leads. A Blade So Black had the magic I was looking for and an imagination out of this world.

Can't you believe we will be in April in a few days?! Time flies by when you're having fun (reading a billion books)!

XOXO

Sincerely,

Veronica

#sincerelyveronica #A Blade So Black #LL McKinney #black books #black girl magic #fantasy books #alice in wonderland #bookworm #booksbooksbooks #book review #bookstagram #book photography #bookish #bookblr #kindle

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