Nikky Lee's Blog, page 7
September 9, 2022
Book Review: A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
Title: A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking
Author: T. Kingfisher
Publisher: Self-published
Page Count: 308
Spice: none
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“It is nearly impossibly to be sad when eating a blueberry muffin. I'm pretty sure that's a scientific fact.”
― T. Kingfisher, A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
This is one of those novels that can span generations, from upper middle-grade readers through to adult readers such as myself, there is a lot to love about this story. And if the title doesn't sell it...
September 8, 2022
Book Review: Winter Masquerade by Kevin Klehr
Title: Winter Masquerade
Author: Kevin Klehr
Publisher: NineStar Press
Page Count: 137
Rep: LGBTQ+, M/M
Spice: ️️
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨(4.5/5)

Move over Alice and Wonderland, here comes Winter Masquerade by Kevin Klehr. While far from a children’s story, this mad hatter's dreamscape delves deep into the weird and mysterious, and ultimately, romance.
When Ferris wakes on board the Sea Queen sailing on a chocolate sea, he comes to realise he is trapped in the strange and surreal dimension. His only hop...
September 3, 2022
Book Review: A Wind From The Rift by Bonnie Wynne
Title: A Wind From The Rift (The Price of Magic #2)
Author: Bonnie Wynne
Publisher: Talem Press
Page Count: 410
Spice: ️
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Gwyn’s journey continues in this second book in The Price of Magic series. The story picks up right where The Ninth Sorceress left off. Gwyn has discovered the Red Magic in her veins and now free from the Birdtower, attempts to find a way out of the Clockwork City. And fails spectacularly. I can’t go into much more detail without spoilers, however, I will say this...
August 31, 2022
Book Review: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
Title: The Kaiju Preservation Society
Author: John Scalzi
Publisher: Tor Books
Page Count: 264
Rep: non-binary, POC
Spice: None
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the only book I've encountered so far that incorporates the pandemic without a too-close-to-reality jolt crashing through my escapism. Premise: Down-on-his-luck food delivery driver, Jamie Grey, catches a break in the midst of the pandemic when he bumps into an old classmate, who hires him as an emergency stand-in grunt for an organisation that “w...
August 16, 2022
10 Questions With Annie Lisenby

Annie Lisenby is a native of the Missouri Ozarks and has traveled to exciting places that she brings into my writing. She primarily writes for teens and young adults, but also enjoys expanding into other areas too. In most of her work, you’ll find a generous dash of romance.
With an MFA in theatre, she has taught and performed professionally and is a member of the Screen Actors’ Guild. As an author, she is a regular contributor to a local magazine and she is a board member of the Missouri Write...
August 12, 2022
Read the first five chapters of THE RARKYN'S FAMILIAR here
Like to try before you buy? Read the first five chapters of The Rarkyn's Familiar for free via the link below.

An orphan bent on revenge.
A monster searching for freedom.
A forbidden pact that binds their fates together.
"A stunning debut, and a promising opening act for the Rarkyn Trilogy." —Aurealis Magazine
"Steeped in other-worldly magic and adventure." —Andromeda Spaceways Magazine
"This is the kind of book you have to own, a boon to any library." —Reader's Favourite Review
August 9, 2022
Vote for THE RARKYN'S FAMILIAR in the Indie Ink Awards!
Can you help Lyss and Skaar make it to the next round of the 2022 Indie Awards?
I'm delighted to share that THE RARKYN'S FAMILIAR has been nominated in 7 categories for the Indie Ink Awards

The awards are now in the voting stage. Only the top 10 most voted books in each category will go through to a final judging round.
Which means *drum roll* THE RARKYN'S FAMILIAR needs your votes!
You can vote via the link below. But don't wait too long, voting closes at the end of August.
Voting...
August 6, 2022
Book Review: The Many Deaths Of Laila Starr by Ram V and Filipe Andrade
Title: The Many Deaths Of Laila Starr
Author: Ram V. (author), Filipe Andrade (illustrator)
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Page count: 124
Genre: Graphic Novel, Magic Realism, Contemporary Fantasy
Rep: POC
Spice: None
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This gorgeous graphic novel just blew me away. The characters, the journeys, the feels—and the illustrations, wow. All of it together was just *chef’s kiss*. I’ll admit, I teared up at the end.
With the birth of the prophesied inventor of immortality, Death’s department is...
July 28, 2022
Book Review: The Part About The Dragon Was (Mostly) True by Sean Gibson
Title: The Part About The Dragon Was (Mostly) True
Author: Sean Gibson
Publisher: Parliament House Press (indie)
Page Count: 358
Spice: None
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s difficult to find the right words to describe where The Part About The Dragon Was (Mostly) True would fit on the bookshelf. The closest comparison I can think of is Vox Machina (and all its glorious debauchery) meets Pratchett’s trope twisting, with a liberal amount of puns and muumuu suits.
The Part About The Dragon Was (Mostly) True fol...
July 20, 2022
10 Questions with Kassandra Flamouri

Kassandra Flamouri made her storytelling debut at age three with “Squirm the Worm,” which was warmly received by an audience of assorted beetles. After many years spent exploring a variety of interests, she went on to study music composition at the Sunderman Conservatory of Gettysburg College. She currently resides in Pennsylvania, where she juggles writing, editing, teaching, and digital marketing. Kassandra shares her heart and home with a very sweet and loving man, a very sweet and excitable ...