Title : First Grave on the Right Author : Darynda Jones Series : Charley Davidson, book 1 Age Category : Adult Published by: St. Martin's Press Pages: 310 p. Genre: Urban fantasy About First Grave on the Right "This whole grim reaper thing should have come with a manual. Or a diagram of some kind. A flow chart would have been nice." Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. And it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less-than-ideal circumstances (like murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. He might be something else entirely. But what does he want with Charley? And why can't she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in? My Thoughts on: First Grave on the Right This book is so much fun, I am a big fan of urban fantasy settings. The book certainly falls in the urban fantasy category, as it is set in this world, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The main character of the book is Charley Davidson, she is the one and only Grim Reaper and is the funniest character I have ever encountered. She has such a good sense of humor, that part makes the book much lighter than it is. When I first started reading, I thought it would be a light-hearted book, more of a paranormal romance than an urban fantasy read. I could not have been more mistaken, as this book has a lot of depth. It has an unexplainable mysterious sexy as hell entity, pun intended. The mystery around this character is only resolved at the end of the book. In between figuring out this mystery, we are also figuring out the mystery of the dead lawyers. There is a lot of detective work, and murders to solve. I liked that it not only focussed on the supernatural aspects but also on the humans in the story, such as Cookie and Charley's uncle and the family dynamic. It all feels very well-thought-out. The only thing that does not get explained, and I have been dying to know, is the following. If she is the only reaper in the world, shouldn't she be moving around a lot more to collect all the trapped souls that did not cross over? Are they left wandering the world, or do they eventually end up on Charley's doorstep, no matter where they came from? Lots of times in books, these questions will be explained at some point in the story, however at least it is not explained in this book. The reason for this might just be that the whole reaper thing never really gets explained to Charley, so she doesn't know her purpose in the world. This considering what we have learned throughout the story might very well be the case. By the end of the book, there were some 'aha' moments where parts of the mysteries got resolved, but I feel there will be lots of things to dive into for the next books. This book reminds me a bit of watching Ghost Whisperer, as this also has some more disturbing scenes, that might be nightmare-inducing for some people. Then there is of course the sexual tension between Charley and Reyes that was great. I loved this part, and I loved that one scene where it put Charley in a very awkward position. I laughed a lot during reading this book, the humor is so good in this book. The big conclusion at the end of the book came as a bit of a surprise to me, which is good, I like it when I can't figure out beforehand where the book is going. There are enough loose ends in the story, that we will have a lot more world to delve into in the next book. However, it does not feel forced, it feels like this part of the journey is done, and a new adventure will begin in the next book. Rating First Grave On The Right This book is hilarious, like watching an episode of Supernatural on paper. There is so much humor woven into the story. In contrast to the humor, there is also a lot of darkness and almost horror elements. Overall I enjoyed this book, it was very well-balanced and just fun. Sometimes you just want to read something lighthearted and quirky, and this book delivers that in a supernatural manner. 4 cats for this one.

I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas, me and Martijn spent Christmas eve, relaxing and cooking the most delicious turkey dinner I have ever had! Today we started with presents! Of course, there was a book waiting for me! The other present is sure to end up on my other blog sometime, I got a cool Christmas sweater, from my now favorite music festival which I visited this year for the first time. This afternoon we are off to visit Martijn's parents. Merry Christmas to all of you! And thank you for visiting my blog. If you can't get enough of my content, consider finding me on my other websites. If you are interested in music, I write about it on  Finding Flight Cases.  If you are interested in collecting books, I have started a secondhand online bookstore, Arcane Archives , I would love to help you find your next fantasy or science fiction read.

Title : Christmas Magic Author : Alexandra Moody Series : Christmas Magic, book 1 Age Category : Adult Published by: Self-published, November 2018 Pages: 230p. Genre: Christmas fantasy About Christmas Magic Clio just wants to live a normal life, without her powers getting in the way, and for the most time, she can keep them hidden. But that changes when a group of dark elves attacks her. The attack has attracted this handsome reindeer shifter, named Dash, who wants to protect her and just wants to be left alone. When magic creatures are starting to end up dead Dash and Clio join forces to find out who is killing them. My Thoughts on Christmas Magic Christmas Magic book was so special, as every Christmas I like to read a lot of Christmas-themed books, they usually end up being romance books, as for some reason that is the way to go for Christmas. This is why this book is something different, as like all Christmas books it is set in our world, but this is a true fantasy story. This makes it so exciting, that I would categorize it as an urban Christmas fantasy. The characters are all Christmas creatures, there are elves, Clauses, and reindeer shifters, which are all on the good side of things, we also have Krampus in plural, dark elves en some more creatures that roam the night. This book took me by surprise as I had not expected it to be such a diverse story, it has a lot of world-building, the characters are well-developed, and we get to solve a mystery. The story takes a much darker turn than I had expected, but it was well worth it. Not only are Christmas creatures allowed to live anywhere in the world. The North Pole is of course also included in this story, it is a Christmas book after all. It does have another purpose, it is a place where Christmas creatures can live in peace. Sparks are flying between Clio and Dash, their quick banter is very entertaining, but it is not the main plot line of the story. There is also a mystery to be solved, as Christmas creatures are being killed. The reindeer in this story are sort of the police department of the North Pole. I thought that was a cool new direction for reindeer. I also learned about a new creature which I have never heard of before, it is called a tomten. Might just be a case of me not knowing English words for things, as it is not my native language. I thought it was interesting. Rating Christmas Magic The story is action-packed, with attacking elves, a creepy prison visit, an underground fight club, and much more. This is the perfect Christmas holiday read for everybody who loves urban fantasy or fairy tales. I am picking up the second book in the series before Christmas, I am very curious to see how the story continues. As you might have guessed by my excitement, this book is a 5 cat sort of book! If you have any downtime during the holidays, give this book some love. For now, I would like to wish everybody a wonderful Christmas Eve. If you can't get enough of my content, consider finding me on my other websites. If you are interested in music, I write about it on  Finding Flight Cases.  If you are interested in collecting books, I have started a secondhand online bookstore, Arcane Archives , I would love to help you find your next fantasy or science fiction read.

Title : Miss Kane's Christmas Author : Caroline Mickelson Series : Christmas Central Series, book 1 Age Category : Adult Published by: Bon Accord Press, October 2012 Pages: 138p. Genre: Christmas feel good About Miss Kane's Christmas Carol Claus is on a mission, to help save Christmas, she agrees to join a single father Ben Hanson, and his children to bring them some Christmas cheer. It seems like an easy enough job, but Ben Hanson has written a very interesting book: 'Beyond Bah Humbug: Why Lying to Your Children about Santa Claus is a Bad Idea' that brings Christmas in peril. Miss Kane poses as the new nanny, in an attempt to change Ben's mind on Christmas and show him and the kids that Christmas can be fun. She is caught off guard by the feelings that are developing in her, how can she, as Santa Claus's daughter, be attracted by a man who doesn't love Christmas? My thoughts on Miss Kane's Christmas This was just such a sweet little Christmas romance novella. It might not be the most renewing outstanding work you will ever read, I know, but it does have all the cozy Christmas vibes I was looking for. I was not really in the spirit of Christmas myself, I was not feeling very well when I read this story. I am very glad that I picked it up, it cheered me up so much, and therefore I thought I should give it some love. So anyone who is not having all the feels, or just feels a little down, can also enjoy this story. Carol, aka Miss Kane, was such a powerful character, she kept trying in a subtle way to get through to Ben, even though this led to much friction from Ben's side. She took it sweetly and did not get discouraged. The ending was a little bit too predictable but who cares, it is a cute holiday read, they tend to be a little bit on the predictable side. It cheered me up so much, and that was all I wanted when I was reading a Christmas story. Rating Miss Kane's Christmas If you are looking for a sweet Christmas story, that does not at all take long to read, this is for you. It has all the cozy Christmas vibes, has lovely characters, and just helps you get in the mood for Christmas. The ending was predictable, the story could have a little bit more body, but in the end, it does not matter much. I think this is a solid 3 cats. If you can't get enough of my content, consider finding me on my other websites. If you are interested in music, I write about it on  Finding Flight Cases.  If you are interested in collecting books, I have started a secondhand online bookstore, Arcane Archives , I would love to help you find your next fantasy or science fiction read.

Title : The Chimney Sweep Author : M.J. Padgett Series : Life in Chatswain City, book 5 can be read as a standalone novel Age Category : Adult Published by: self-published 2018 Pages: 125p. Genre: Christmas feel good About The Chimney Sweep George is one of Santa's elves, who is just doing his duty by delivering presents on Christmas Eve, until he runs into this beautiful woman with a shotgun in her hand. In this cute Christmas romance, the stakes are high for George, as one kiss could mean losing immortality. My thoughts on The Chimney Sweeps This was adorable, it gave me all the Christmassy vibes I wanted. And I thought the start was very clever and funny, being held a gunpoint. The story is told from George's perspective, and he does not know a lot about humans. He does not know how appliances work and doesn't know many of the sayings, of humans, which makes for very funny conversations and situations. I like that we try to figure out through George's eyes what is the matter with Camilla, as a human reader we see that something is eating at her, but since we are only getting George's point of view, you are not sure what happened with Camilla in the past. We also learn about George's world at the North Pole. Small bits of information are given throughout the story. What I thought was a bit of a letdown is that we do not know why the chimney was so clean, it gets mentioned a couple of times however, we never get an explanation for it. My first thought was that Camilla would be a chimney sweeper, that would have been special. However, it turns out that Camilla is a police detective. So is her chimney so clean because she is never at home to use it? I might have gone with a different title, which has more of a Christmas feel to it, the cover art does help with selling it as a Christmas story, but I would not have known this from the title. Rating The Chimney Sweep Overall this was a cute little Christmas romance novella, it is a cozy story to read before Christmas and has something magical. I think this counts as a fantasy romance story, as we have the North Pole, with elves, Santa, and flying reindeer. But we also got a bit of new technology, devised, so the elves could communicate with the reindeer, and also a more modern sleigh that does not need reindeer to pull it. So Santa has been modernizing. I thought this was cool, it gives the old Christmas magic a more modern feel. These clever little details make this read 4 cats. If you can't get enough of my content, consider finding me on my other websites. If you are interested in music, I write about it on  Finding Flight Cases.  If you are interested in collecting books, I have started a secondhand online bookstore, Arcane Archives , I would love to help you find your next fantasy or science fiction read.

It is almost Christmas! Wow, this year has flown by, it is unbelievable. Also, unbelievable all the things I have achieved this year, I am becoming more like the person I want to be daily. I am proud of the progress I have made and looking forward to continuing on this blog as well. I had forgotten for a while what it was like to read books and to be active in the reading community. I have had to take a break from blogging for a couple of months since my first Top 10 Tuesday post, due to personal issues, but I am back and I am here to stay as long as you all will have me. I just want to say, thank you all so much for the warm welcome back, it had been amazing, thank you, it does mean the world to me. Do you have an Amazon list a mile long? Well, I do not so much on Amazon but on Bol.com, it is my favorite national website for getting books. And their wishlist looks much prettier and easier to navigate than the one for Amazon. Anyway let's get into my top 10 books on my Christmas list! The illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling. I love Harry Potter and I love art, so an illustrated edition seems like a perfect Christmas gift for me. I have gone through them a couple of times in the bookstore, they are stunning. Never bought them because they were not so cheap. The illustrated edition of Eragon by Christopher Paolini. Eragon is a book dear to my heart I remember that this, it was in summer and just before my birthday, I was so excited about this book that I asked my grandparents for the second book Eldest in the series for my Birthday. I started reading it right away. I love that there are new editions to be added to my collection. Monstrous Tales by Sija Hong. I love fairytales, and love exploring fairy tales from across the world. The Tales editions by Chronicle Books are beautifully illustrated books of fairy tales, I already own the Nordic Tales edition and let me tell you, it is such a beautiful book. House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas I have been a fan of Sarah J. Maas for the longest time, but I still have to finish a series by her, that is my struggle, finishing a series. I have read Throne of Glass, and Crown of Midnight, and my latest was House of Earth and Blood. So now I need House of Sky and Breath, because House of Sky and Breath was amazing, and got me back into reading again like Twilight once did too, so I am hell-bent on finishing this series as far as it is out. Luckily, we have another one to look forward to in January when House of Flame and Shadow comes out. Can I just say, what an amazing cover art again I am loving it! Krampus by Brom I will let you in on a little secret, my boyfriend and I tend to give each other very unchristmasy themed gifts for Christmas, so I once gave him a metal encyclopedia, as in metal music, and he gifted me a book on the Salem witch trials. Very unconventional, so this would be a perfect gift for me. Murtagh by Christopher Paolini You didn't think I would forget the other major release by Christopher Paolini, would you? Of course, I need this in my life! I am very excited that we have a new story set in Alagaësia! The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna The first book the Gilded Ones was an extra book in one of the Fairyloot boxes, and I went in with no expectations and loved the story, I have yet to read the rest of the series, the Eternal Ones is coming in February so would be good to have this and finish this series in February! The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna We went on vacation to Edinburgh last September, such a beautiful city, I think we will go back because we enjoyed our time there. I was allowed to bookshop, and in the bookshop Martijn, suggested I pick this up, but I wasn't sure of it, and I have been regretting it ever since, as this book has become such a hype. The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher Any book will do by this author, T. Kingfisher in general has been hyped by my favorite book tubers for a long time, so I want to know why the works of this author are liked by many. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas I will admit, I did not yet get on this hype train, but that is bound to change as I already like 2 of the series Sarah writes this is going to be added one way or another. Which books are you hoping to receive this Christmas? If you can't get enough of my content, consider finding me on my other websites. If you are interested in music, I write about it on  Finding Flight Cases.  If you are interested in collecting books, I have started a secondhand online bookstore, Arcane Archives , I would love to help you find your next fantasy or science fiction read.

Today I wanted to do something different, I want to include some real witchy content to my blog for you to enjoy. Last Christmas I came across a fun Yule preparation video by The Witches Cookery , and I decided I would try to make the Yule bread she made in that video. I wanted to do this last year before Yule, but I ran out of time, and honestly, I was not feeling as spirited as I am feeling now. I am doing so much better mentally than last year, and I have undergone a lot of changes this year. I am very proud of the progress I have made. So without further ado, I would like to present the most wholesome Yule video out there, all credit going to the Witches' Cookery of course, for this fun Yule blog. Yule preparations | Pagan Yule stories & history | Witch vlog The History of Yule Yule is traditionally celebrated between the 21st of December and the 6th of January. Yule is the celebration of fertility but also remembering the death. It is also the season of the hunt that comes after the harvest is done. It was also a time when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was thin. The dead will rise in only one form this time of year, as part of the Wild hunt which is led by the German god Wodan aka Odin. Rituals during this time consisted of animal sacrifices to the gods to ensure fertility and good crops. The animals were prepared after the sacrifice into a Yule fest. A celebration in which gift-giving was also not uncommon. Except for the sacrificing part, it sounds a lot like the Christmas we celebrate today. As Yule starts on the shortest day of the year, it was also celebrated as the rebirth of the sun. There are many rituals, tales associated with Yule, and the Wild Hunt might be the most interesting of them all. Yule (Wagon) Bread Recipe The ingredients: 200 ml milk (warm) 14g active dry yeast 100 g sugar 1 swig of vanilla extract 3 egg yolks 500 g flour 100 g butter (soft) 1 pinch of salt 3 TBSP Rum or Amaretto or Milk with cinnamon 1/2 lemon (juice and zest) 50 g raisins (optional) Water & sugar to drizzle (add cinnamon for extra taste) Please make sure the eggs and butter are both at room temperature. Put the yeast, and sugar in a bowl. Warm the milk and poor it into the bowl with the sugar and yeast. Then add the three egg yolks and let it sit for about 10 minutes until bubbles appear. When they do, add the soft butter and flour to the mixture. Stir and add three tablespoons of rum in the mixture. You could also use Amaretto if do not have rum at home. I used the Kraken Rum we have on our shelf. Then add a pinch of salt, I have forgotten this step, and let me tell you, I could taste that it was missing, but if you have to lessen your salt intake, you can definitely make it without the salt, the bread will still taste delicious. But the salt would make it a bit richer in flavor. Then add the zest of half a lemon, as well as the juice. You can first stir the dough with a fork or with a spatula until the flower is a bit more incorporated and the dough does not stick as much to your hands. When it doesn't stick to your hands add the raisins. I think for my next batch I would amend the recipe a bit on this part, and increase the quantity to 100 g of raisins instead, me and my boyfriend would have liked some more raisins. You could also soak them in rum, to make them more flavourful. When you have incorporated the raisins, let the mixture rest for about an hour in a warm place. When rested, divide the dough into four pieces. Roll one piece in a long string and roll the ends inwards. Then do the same for a second piece and put that over the first so you have four little spirals. Put it in the oven (190 degrees Celsius) for about half an hour until it browns, in the meantime, prepare some water with sugar and cinnamon. When the Yule bread comes out of the oven drizzle some of the sugar water over your bread, then let it cool. Enjoy! I had a lot of fun making these, and they are delicious! So, I will be making some more soon. If you can't get enough of my content, consider finding me on my other websites. If you are interested in music, I write about it on  Finding Flight Cases.  If you are interested in collecting books, I have started a secondhand online bookstore, Arcane Archives , I would love to help you find your next fantasy or science fiction read.

Title : Shadow & Bone Author : Leigh Bardugo Series : The Shadow & Bone Trilogy, book 1 Other books in this series: Siege & Storm and Ruin & Rising Age Category : Young Adult Published by: Orion's Children Books, October 2020 Pages: 307p. Genre: Epic fantasy About Shadow and Bone Alina Starkov is a soldier, the regiment plans to cross the Shadow Fold, a darkness that holds all kinds of shadow creatures. Alina isn't sure she will make it to the other side, but when her party is attacked, she unleashes magic she did not know she possessed. Alina ends up in the world of the Grisha the elite military unit, led by the notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes that Alina's powers can reunite the war-torn nation. If she could only master her powers. But the kingdom holds some dark secrets, and Alina has to find her place in this world and hold the future. Welcome to Ravka, a world where science and superstition collide, and nothing is what it seems. My thoughts on Shadow and Bone My relationship with Shadow and Bone has had a lot of ups and downs. You could call it a hate/love affair. So expect a bit of a critical review, if you don't like that then I would suggest skipping this review. To give you an example, in the first 50 pages I was thinking, what the hell is this world, where is my world-building? Why has everyone been hyping this book up, so much? I got my answers shortly after, as the pace of the book changed at that point, the story became interesting all of a sudden. That is my general feeling about this book, I feel like I am missing out on the many details this world possesses. This is mainly because it is written from Alina's perspective, and she has a very narrow view of the world she lives in. Lots of details have been kept hidden from her, or just weren't of interest to her, so that makes the story a bit narrow-minded as well. The world Leigh Bardugo has created is very interesting, even from the narrow point of view we have gotten, it is very fascinating. And I would love to read more, fortunately, I have 4 more books to look forward to next to this trilogy all based in Ravka. I would love to see how the writing has evolved from Shadow and Bone, I have heard that the other books are even more beloved than Shadow and Bone. Enough about the world building I think you have gotten my point. Still, the feeling of missing out on things kept nagging me to the end of the book. There were some reveals that, because I have managed to dodge almost all spoilers on this series. Except for that the Darkling was supposed to be the villain of this story. The reveal that came from Baghra, as may be the biggest surprise of the book. That was unexpected, as I wasn't sure what Baghra's intentions were before that moment. At this point in the book we have finally found the haste button, and the story keeps spinning. We learn a great deal more about the world, and about many of the side characters. We also see Alina evolve. This learning curve goes hand in hand with our main character, so there are no broadly explained elements, we only see what Alina's eyes see. Alina is that so-called reluctant hero, a trope that I found out by reading this, I don't like. Alina seems to be so foolish and naive, and it bugged me that the Darkling caught up with them in such an easy manner. It was excruciating to read about. Rating Shadow and Bone Short version: it needs more world-building. Long version: the world is so damn interesting, I just want a lot more of it, even if Alina is not my favorite character ever. The side characters make up for the lacking main character, and therefore I am not giving up on this series. I am becoming a fan of this world and already have a favorite character, Nikolai, I haven't talked much about him in this review, as I was a bit concerned with spoilers. I am glad that this character is so beloved that it has gotten his own duology , being King of Scars and Rule of Wolves. Overall this book had its moments, but it will never be the best thing I have ever read. What I have learned from this one is that I do not like the reluctant hero's point of view. Also, the book starts very slow, so be aware of that, it gets better after the 50-page mark, and from that point, you can easily make it to the finish line, and it becomes addictive even. That being said, I had a really hard time with the main character, which left this book stranded on 3 stars. If you can't get enough of my content, consider finding me on my other websites. If you are interested in music, I write about it on  Finding Flight Cases.  If you are interested in collecting books, I have started a secondhand online bookstore, Arcane Archives , I would love to help you find your next fantasy or science fiction read.

While I am working on figuring out my goals for 2025, let me switch it up again with another post because I am not good at keeping to the prompts at the moment. I want to discuss the books I want to prioritize this year. Catching Fire, Mockingjay, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins Here is the embarrassing part of this blog, I never finished reading the Hunger Games back when it came out. This year a new Hunger Games book will be released, I don't think I have to tell anybody that since it was on most anticipated releases top 10's last year. I thought this would be a good year to finally pick up the series again and finally finish it once and for all. Gleanings by Neal Shusterman by reading Gleanings I will have officially finished the Arc of Scythe series. My boyfriend has already read it of course, and a copy has been staring at me from the shelf for a long time. I am curious about these side stories, and I am looking forward to diving into that world again. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas Speaking of finishing series, I need to continue with Throne of Glass as well, I read Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows last year. If I can also get to Tower of Dawn this year, that would make this a phenomenal reading year. And then I will only have Kingdom of Ashes and the short stories to tackle in 2026. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones This falls in the category "books-boyfriend-gave-me". Maybe I should make that a reading challenge as well. Although that might just be too enthusiastic with the amount of other things in my life that need my attention. Let's just try to read one book he gave me, and call it a day. I own the beautiful Folio Society editions of this series, they are beautifully illustrated. Pet Sematary by Stephen King While I have seen many of Stephen King's movies, I have yet to finish my first Stephen King book. I will be tackling Pet Sematary as the first, I have heard it is a good starting point. Let me know if you would have picked another one for me, I would be curious to know. Authority and Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer I read Annihilation in 2023, you see the struggle, don't you? It has been a trend I want to break out of this nasty habit, it also shows up in other parts of my life, now that I am thinking about it. These are going on the list, then have another excuse to buy the new one as well. The release date of Absolution passed me by, I think I only became aware because Jade - Jadey rereads was talking about it in one of her videos. I love these new creepy weird covers so maybe I will trade in the paperbacks I have now for a matching new set, after I finish them of course. Jade City by Fonda Lee I have started this before but was not in the right mind to read this back then. I am feeling much better and I want to retry as I was enjoying the book. It did suck me in from the beginning, it was just wrong time to start it. I own the beautiful Illumicrate editions of the series. It would also make Martijn very happy, then we can finally discuss the books. He reads a lot faster than me, so he finishes books in no time. I sometimes wish I could read a little faster. What are your priority reads of 2025?

Title : Ruin & Rising Author : Leigh Bardugo Other books in this series: Shadow and Bone, book 1 and Siege & Storm, book 2 Series : The Shadow & Bone Trilogy, book 3 Age Category : Young Adult Published by: Henry Holt, June 2014 Pages: 307p. Genre: Epic fantasy About Ruin & Rising The conclusion to the Shadow and Bone trilogy. Alina barely survived the battle with the Darkling, were it not for Mal's intervention it would have killed her. The aftermath drove them into the hands of the Apparat, once a loyal servant of the king, who now had other plans. That involves Alina taking the throne of the Darkling. Will she be a puppet or will she once and for all break free from all the bonds that hold her? My thoughts on Ruin & Rising I remember that after finishing Siege and Storm I dove right into this one, and read it in one sitting, well maybe not one, I am an immensely slow reader, let's say it took me a week, which in my book, is damn fast. I could not put it down, and when I did I kept thinking about it. I didn't take many notes while reading this, which means that it was so intriguing that I just forgot to stop and write things down. Also a very good thing, I really really got invested in this book. I also think that Alina finally made the choices that I had been hoping she would take before. Taking a more active approach instead of not taking initiative at all. She is still the reluctant hero but it is more in the background than it was in the other books. This makes this book a lot more enjoyable for me. If you have read my other reviews on this series, you know how much I struggle with Alina's character. She drove me mad sometimes, it was very hard to read some of the questionable choices she made, but in the end, it made a lot of sense for the character she is. She gets thrown into a world and a position where she doesn't want to be. She finally accepts that this is the hand she got dealt and now finally makes the most of the situation. She has so much character growth throughout the series and we know have come to the climax of this. The overall storyline about Morozova's amplifiers also comes to a conclusion, and the very large amplifier was the most interesting turn of the entire series. I had not seen this one coming, I am not going to spoil things for those who have not read the series yet, but yes this book has some surprises in store. I liked that this book has its own lore, it helped the world-building a lot, but it also made the story more dynamic. As to the world-building, I am still sad that there isn't more to it in this series, at times I felt that the books were a bit rushed in this regard. I am glad that there are more books set in this world and hope that the other 2 duologies have more history and world-building in store for me. Rating Ruin and Rising This was a good conclusion to the series, the main characters ended up with their desired futures, and the world of Ravka was saved. However, to me, it was not a work of perfection, so it will still leave me stranded on 4 cats. This has to do with me not liking the main character all that much, the sometimes rushed world-building, and the overall story. The world that was created is amazing, the magic system is very interesting and something I have not read before, and all I can say is I just want a whole lot more of that. Unfortunately, I did not receive all that. I am going to continue with the other 4 books, as I do really like Ravka, and I really like Nikolai. If you can't get enough of my content, consider finding me on my other websites. If you are interested in music, I write about it on  Finding Flight Cases.  If you are interested in collecting books, I have started a secondhand online bookstore, Arcane Archives , I would love to help you find your next fantasy or science fiction read.

It is already fall, and even though we still have summer temperatures all over the last week, I think it has been this way in many countries. I don't mind, but I also like the dark evenings of fall, but not so much the rain. This week's prompt for Top Ten Tuesday is, the fall TBR, 10 books you would like to read this autumn. 1. Haunted Voices by various authors This is an anthology of Scottish Ghost stories, this is one of the souvenirs I brought back from Scotland last year, I have read a couple of stories, but I would like to finish the rest. 2. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis I have now started this series, so I might as well finish the whole series, and of course, I want this as my Witch read of the month for November, I am planning something more Halloweenish for October. 3. Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones I own the most beautiful version of this book, the Folio Society edition, it is stunning, and illustrated. It was a gift from my boyfriend Martijn. I still haven't read it, I am a bit scared too as it is also one of my favorite Studio Ghibli movies. They have recently started updating the covers of this series, and I have to say they look very nice, but I still love my edition better because it was a gift from the person I love. 4. Witches Steeped In Gold by Ciannon Smart I want to start getting through my special editions pile, I have this beautiful Fairyloot edition, just waiting to be read. And it is another witchy read, got to love all the witchy reads. I am very much looking forward to this one because it is Jamaican-inspired, a culture I know little about. 5. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas is the only middle-grade book on this list and one for Halloween month! As it is about ghosts, I am curious to see how I would like this one. 6. Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir another spooky read, necromancers sounds like something to read for Halloween? Don't you agree? Also, this has been so popular that I finally want to make my way on the hype train. 7 & 8. King of Scars & Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo I recently posted my review of Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm on this blog. When I heard that Nikolai had his own duology I just had to have it, whenever I got the chance (that being when it was on sale), I got both King of Scars and Rule of Wolves for a good price. Can't wait to dig in, I am very excited for this! 9. & 10. Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo got to finish them all because I am not allowed to watch the TV series before I finish the books. Since the TV series is pulling from both Shadow and Bones and this duology I should first finish. What are you planning on reading this fall? If you can't get enough of my content, consider finding me on my other websites. If you are interested in music, I write about it on  Finding Flight Cases.  If you are interested in collecting books, I have started a secondhand online bookstore, Arcane Archives , I would love to help you find your next fantasy or science fiction read.

Title : The Magician's Nephew Author : C.S. Lewis Series : The Chronicles of Narnia, book 1 Age Category : Middle Grade Published by: May 1955 Pages: 221p. Genre: Epic fantasy About The Magician's Nephew Digory lives next to Polly in London, and they spend the summer together. Polly has found that their row houses are connected in the attics of all the row houses. They decided to go exploring but ended up in Digory's Uncle Andrew's forbidden study. From there, they are thrown into the world of magic, into a parallel world, where they find a witch they can't seem to shake, who chases them to Narnia. My thoughts on The Magician's Nephew This story is now over 60 years old, and it feels like it was recently written. It is the way it was written that makes it seem ageless. This is the beginning of Narnia, in the literal sense, as it is the story of how Narnia came to be. It also answers the question about how the connection between our world and Narnia was formed. I am a sucker for origin stories, it was something I was not so aware of, but now that I am thinking about it, I do like it. I have never heard anybody talk about this one, usually, everybody starts with The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Even Goodreads believes that it should be read as a sixth book. I must disagree, I don't see any harm in reading this first, and I think it was supposed to be written as the first book in the series, as at the end it hints at The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. This book is intended as a children's book, and it is written in that way, but it also has some very mature and dark humor. To be honest, I would suggest this for kids from 10 up, not earlier. The language is still very understandable; even for kids, it will be easy to follow. I think I like that the most about this; it is so accessible in many ways. On the one hand, it is a children's adventure story, on the other hand, it has some lessons in there as well. Think of you should obey your parents/elders, if you behave badly you will suffer the consequences etc. Also, lots of child's play, like wanting to explore the other worlds, ringing the bell, and planting a toffee tree. These kinds of moments you see that it was intended for a young audience, however, it does not take anything away from the enjoyment of reading it. I very much enjoyed this story; it feels like a fairy tale, and I think this time around, I will also continue reading the rest of the series. Rating The Magician's Nephew I had a lovely time with this story. A lot of unanswered questions that I had after seeing the movies were answered here, and this is only the start of the adventures in Narnia. I can't wait to read more about this world, as it is fast and rich in its history, even when this was the very beginning of history. It is a very special kind of story, one that will always stick to me. Therefore, this story gets 4 cats! The Witchy Rating of The Magician's Nephew Since this is my first post on the blog, hi everybody. I am so glad that you found my little corner on the internet. I am also going to introduce to you my rating system for Witchy books. In addition to my normal rating mentioned above, I wanted to rate the truly Witchy books on their witchiness as well. So here we go. In this case, the witch is part of the story; however, it is not the main character of the book. We are dealing with an evil witch who wants to destroy or conquer worlds. The heroes Polly and Digory in this story do everything in their power to prevent the witch from succeeding. It is a classic kind of witch, like we see in fairy tales such as Hans and Gretel or Snow White. I am rating this book on Witchyness of 3 cauldrons it had some interesting spell casting, but the witch was not the main character of the book. If you can't get enough of my content, consider finding me on my other websites. If you are interested in music, I write about it on  Finding Flight Cases.  If you are interested in collecting books, I have started a secondhand online bookstore, Arcane Archives , I would love to help you find your next fantasy or science fiction read.