October FairyLoot: Villainous

I've wanted to give one of these book subscription boxes a try for a long time now but since I don't live in the UK or US the shipping costs have always put a stop to that dream (Fairyloot ended up being over 40€ with shipping). Since it was my birthday this month and the October Fairyloot sounded so good I ended up asking for it as a birthday present from my mom (thanks mom!) and it finally arrived yesterday!

Playing by Heart (Book)

I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley. I've been wanting to give the historical fiction that's not Outlander a try for a while now and the plot of Playing by Heart by Carmela A. Martino sounded nice so I'm glad I got to read it.

Emilia Salvini dreams of marrying a man who loves music as much as she does. But in 18th-century Milan, her position as “second sister” means she’ll likely be sent off to a convent instead. Ironically, Emilia’s pious older sister, Maria, would gladly become a nun. But Father won’t allow it—her brilliant language skills are too important to his quest for noble status.

Emilia’s only hope to avoid the convent is to prove that her musical talents are as indispensable as Maria’s skills. First, Emilia must earn the respect of the music tutor who has always disdained her, simply for being a girl. But before Emilia can carry out her plan, Mamma, her greatest supporter, dies in childbirth. In her sorrow, Emilia composes a heartrending sonata that causes the maestro to finally recognize her talent. He begins teaching her music theory alongside handsome violinist Antonio Bellini, the great-nephew of a wealthy marquis. The two begin as rivals, but making music together gradually melds their hearts.

When Antonio abruptly quits their lessons, Emilia assumes it’s because her family isn’t nobility. More determined than ever to help Father acquire a title, she dedicates a set of compositions to Archduchess Maria Teresa. The archduchess is so impressed that she helps Father become a count. Having finally won Father’s favor, Emilia expects she’ll now be betrothed to Antonio. But the repercussions of her family’s new status threaten not only her dreams, but her sister’s very life.

Tomorrow, When the War Began (Book)

Hi I'm aliveee and about to ramble sleepily about the second traveling book project book I read. Traveling book project was the thing where a group of people pick books and then send them around to each other and annotate them, in case someone was wondering. This time I got to read Lauren's copy of Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden and it was actually pretty cool. I feel like I've been on a bit of a dystopia streak though because the previous traveling book (Find Me) and Bubblegum also kinda fall into that genre. Oops.

Ellie and her friends leave home one quiet morning, wave goodbye to their parents and head up into the hills to camp out for a while; seven teenagers filling in time during school holidays.

The world is about to change forever.

Their lives will never be the same again.

Would you fight? Would you give up everything? Would you sacrifice even life itself?

Bubblegum (Book)

My friend mentioned the author of this book was looking for ARC reviewers on Goodreads so I asked for one and actually got an ebook copy to review (thank you!).

So, Bubblegum by Sari Taurez. My timing for picking this up was pretty perfect because I've been reading really slow paced and/or depressing books lately so this was a nice change.

Tiana is your typical pampered young twenty-something with a love for expensive shoes, hot guys, and murder.

Status means the difference between life and death in this society. For Tiana, she’s never had anything to worry about - that is until her mother cuts her off from the family riches. Luckily she’s got good prospects ahead: a job that could make her a killing.

Her first client: Julia, a lower-class I.T girl that finds life can be tough for those who can’t afford to call the police. When the orphanage where Julia volunteers is targeted by the infamous brothel-owner Bobby Nails, Tiana is excited to take the job. But when she discovers Bobby Nails has a full army of mercenaries at his disposal, Tiana wonders if she may be in over her head.

Tiana and Julia face an unexpected adventure as they seek vengeance against the elusive Nails. Their adventures lead them not only to their target, but to a partnership stronger than any of their differences. But will it be enough to stop Nails and save the orphans from a terrible fate?

Find Me (Book)

Books and Tea Discord is doing a traveling book project this summer, which is is fun thing where a group of people choose books and send them around in the group and annotate them, and when the books return from their travels they're full of nice little comments. We did this last year as well with a UK group (+ me) and a US group, and this year we had so much more people interested in the project that we ended up doing two US groups, two UK groups (I'm once again part of one of them) and a central Europe one. The traveling book project has a Tumblr if you want to see lots of pretty pictures of the books we're reading.

The first book I got to read was Find Me by Laura Van Den Berg and oh boy... It was an interesting one.

"Things I will never forget: my name, my made-up birthday…The dark of the Hospital at night. My mother’s face, when she was young.

Things other people will forget: where they come from, how old they are, the faces of the people they love. The right words for bowl and sunshine…What is a beginning and what is an end."

Joy spends her days working the graveyard shift at a store outside Boston and nursing an addiction to cough syrup, an attempt to suppress her troubled past. But when a sickness that begins with silver blisters and memory loss and ends with death sweeps the country, Joy, for the first time in her life, seems to have an advantage: she is immune.

The Dark World (Book)

Hello I'm here again with another Books and Tea read-a-long book! This month was dedicated to one of our author members, S. C. Parris, because she's a lovely person and we like her a lot, so we all either picked up The Dark Word, which is the first book in her series, or continued the series if we had read the first book already. My fiancé had actually gotten The Dark World for me for Christmas but I already knew we had the read-a-long coming up so I saved it for this month. 

"Her name... is Alexandria Stone."

These are some of the last words Xavier Delacroix hears from his beloved Eleanor Black... just before she bursts into a Lycan Creature. And if this wasn't enough to rattle Xavier's brilliant mind, other Vampires - namely Dracula - are becoming elusive and speaking only in vague air about Xavier's supposedly brilliant blood. 

But with a human to find, Lycans to kill, and a World to protect, Xavier is not so sure what to believe anymore... or who.

The Bone Witch (Book)

So the Books and Tea Discord server did an #OwnVoices themed read-a-long last month and we ended up choosing a book called The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco. I wasn't even going to participate at first because I've been trying to avoid doing too much impulse shopping, but of course the book conveniently went on sale on Amazon so I picked it up anyway. And boy am I glad I did! My only regret is that I got it as an ebook instead of a physical copy because the book has such a beautiful cover.

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she's a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.
In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha - one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles... and make a powerful choice.

Current Obsession: Outlander

Hi, it's been a while! I've been busy with university and things so haven't really had anything to write about, but since I finished reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon a few days ago I figured now would be a good time.

So, Outlander. The story is so complex that trying to explain it shortly is super hard, but the basic idea is this: Claire Randall, a combat nurse from the 1940's, goes to Scotland with her husband and they find a stone circle. Claire touches one of the stones and ends up in the 18th century. 

Ice Massacre (Book)

I probably just broke my reading speed record and finished a book in only three days. The book in question was Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner. It was this month's pick for a read-a-long in the Books and Tea Discord, and since a friend of mine was kind enough to buy the book for me of course I had to read it!

A mermaid’s supernatural beauty serves one purpose: to lure a sailor to his death.

The Massacre is supposed to bring peace to Eriana Kwai. Every year, the island sends its warriors to battle these hostile sea demons. Every year, the warriors fail to return. Desperate for survival, the island must decide on a new strategy. Now, the fate of Eriana Kwai lies in the hands of twenty battle-trained girls and their resistance to a mermaid’s allure.
Eighteen-year-old Meela has already lost her brother to the Massacre, and she has lived with a secret that’s haunted her since childhood. For any hope of survival, she must overcome the demons of her past and become a ruthless mermaid killer.

For the first time, Eriana Kwai’s Massacre warriors are female, and Meela must fight for her people’s freedom on the Pacific Ocean’s deadliest battleground.

Uprooted (Book)

This thing exists wow!!

Last December I participated in a Secret Santa on the Books and Tea Discord server and my lovely Santa got me Uprooted by Naomi Novik. I had been interested in it for quite a while and last month I finally got around to reading it... And oh my god I loved it so much! Enough to bother writing about it to get all my excitement out of my system lol. This isn't trying to be like a review or even make sense, so good luck dealing with my rambling!

Agnieszka loves her village, set deep in a peaceful valley. But the nearby enchanted forest casts a shadow over her home. Many have been lost to the Wood and none return unchanged. The villagers depend on an ageless wizard, the Dragon, to protect them from the forest's dark magic. However, his help comes at a terrible price. One young village woman must serve him for ten years, leaving all they value behind. Agnieszka fears her dearest friend Kasia will be picked at the next choosing, for she's everything Agnieszka is not - beautiful, graceful and brave. Yet when the Dragon comes, it's not Kasia he takes.