Joy Lewis's Blog, page 2

White Stag Review + Decadent Vegan Hot Cocoa Recipe

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September 2021 Update

My 2021 update

Video links:

Marrow Blade: books2read.com/u/bprRpl

Blood Prophecy: books2read.com/u/mgENkq

Video transcription:

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to take a quick moment of your time to talk about some things I have coming out for you.

First off, Marrow Blade is releasing pretty soon. It comes out September 15.

Some things I think you’ll like about it are:

New magicHigher StakesMore epic battlesNew point of view character that I had a lot of fun writing. So far my beta readers have really so far loved him. So, I think you’ll enjoy him, too.

My second announcment’s a pretty exciting one. I’ve got a new book coming out.

It’s the fourth and final book of The Crest of Blackthorn series, and it’s called Blood Prophecy.

So, next thing you might notice about this is the preorder release date.

Ignore it! This is just a placeholder date.

Right now, I believe it says something like August 2022, but it will be released earlier than that. Probably the first half of next year.

How soon will it be released? You’ll have to stay tuned to find out!

Thanks for watching.

The post September 2021 Update appeared first on Joy Lewis.

Reader Content Warnings

***These lists may contain minor spoilers for some books, though it’s my opinion that I’ve kept them broad enough not to spoil much.***

Wither Thorn (The Crest of Blackthorn #1)ViolenceMild languageDeathTortureSoul Sworn (The Crest of Blackthorn #2)ViolenceLanguageBloodDeathDepressionDepiction of suicideMarrow Blade (The Crest of Blackthorn #3)ViolenceAttempted suicideDepressionDeathStrong languageAnger issuesSlaveryBloodSelf-harmAttempted rape/assault (on-page)Rape/assault (implied and off-page)Fade-to-black intimacy

The post Reader Content Warnings appeared first on Joy Lewis.

New Indie Fantasy Books Coming in September

With some of my favorite series are coming to an end this month, September is going to be filled with bittersweet book binges!

On the plus side, fans of Sarah K. L. Wilson will be overjoyed to see the second book of her Bluebeard’s Secret series release (I know I’ve been waiting for it.)

And then there’s *dramatic pause* Dark Bringer. Bring on September!

Spellbound (Embracing Darkness Collection) – September 3Spellbound, Rebecca L. Garcia

A dark and twisted fantasy standalone romance, where hate and love collide in a world filled with snarky witches and vengeful gods. Perfect for fans of To Kill a Kingdom and Kingdom of the Wicked.

Grieving from being torn from her beloved sister, who remained behind in the human kingdom, Elle makes it her life purpose to become a keeper in her cursekeeper coven.

But this calling won’t be an easy one.

The magic possessed by her small coven of four casts them as outsiders throughout the kingdom. Yet when witches are found murdered in the woods, the cursekeepers quickly become the town’s only hope.
Many believe the murders are the work of a god. An old one returned in search of vengeance. Elle, on the other hand, suspects Viktor, the new warlock to town, is somehow linked to the violent deaths. However, his agenda doesn’t stop there.

See on AmazonCrown Princess Academy: Book 2 – September 8

Crowned as the first Hybrid Queen, my battle with Light and Dark has only just begun.

Destroying the portal to the Light Fae Realm should have solved all my problems. No more pompous jerkwads telling us what to do, how to dress, how to live and how to die.

Little did I know that by closing one door, I opened another, one that let the gorgeous King of Malice waltz right into my world…

And into my heart.

Just like my heart, my body is split into two directions, one seeking the Light, and the other seeking the Darkness I’ve known all my life. I’m a Hybrid Queen, the first of my kind, and if I can’t learn to make Light and Malice coexist, I won’t be the only thing torn apart.

See on AmazonCrown Princess Academy: Book 2, AJ FlowersThe Lightning Conjurer: The Reckoning – September 13The Lightning Conjurer: The Recoking, Rachel Rener

Four years after the collapse of the Inner circle, the Asterian Order is functioning as Aspen and the late Magistrate envisioned; containment centers have been shut down, antiquated laws have been abolished, and free elections for a new Prime Minister are underway.

However, in the absence of containment and conviction, the line between freedom and secrecy has been blurred; amid the turmoil, a fresh wave of Elemental Supremacism is threatening to take hold of the Asterian Parliament.

Aiden, Eileen, and Sophia are joined by an old nemesis to carry out their own top-secret quest: scouring the globe for rogue Elementalists with extraordinary powers.

See on AmazonQueen of Bitter Thorn (The Fae of Bitter Thorn Book 4) – September 14

Faerie itself is on the brink of destruction.

Alone and frightened, Elora must return to Bitter Thorn to share news of Queen Alessandra’s most recent victory. But the realm is crumbling before her eyes. Frost covers surfaces it should not. Defensive enchantments are not as strong as they should be.

Everyone in Faerie is falling prey to the Fairfrost queen’s manipulation.

To restore Prince Brannick to his rightful place as High King, Elora must learn to trust herself.

It might be easier if her victories would last.

It might be easier if she lived.

See on AmazonQueen of Bitter Thorn, Kay L. MoodyMarrow Blade (The Crest of Blackthorn Book 3) – September 15Marrow Blade (The Crest of Blackthorn Book 3), Joy Lewis

She’s destined to die choking on her own blood. Her only hope is the cruel boy who killed her grandfather.

Caia Blackthorn is the key to ending the reign of a power-mad king. A king who compels his own people to light themselves aflame. A king who will use her to create an army of necromancers if she fails.

The only price is her life.

Her one hope of surviving this grisly fate is the king’s pet assassin. The only problem: he was tortured by Caia’s sister and detests family Blackthorn.

Two things threaten to unravel everything: a dark truth buried deep in his past–and an unwanted, forbidden attraction.

See on AmazonBeyond The Mist: Banshee’s Curse Book 2 – September 15

Fight or flight… why not do both?

Cara is magic-bound by her promise to Cadan, keeping her in the fae realm. On the run from the power hungry King, Cara and her friends search for a way to stop him and bring back balance to Gon’an’rit. Still hurt by a recent betrayal and confused by her heritage, Cara struggles to find her place within her evolving life.

Perfect for fans of fated mates, enemies to lovers, complicated & diverse characters, slow burn romance, and celtic folklore.

10% of author profits will be donated to Foundations of Divergent Minds Org.

See on AmazonBeyond The Mist, Kristen BraddockLife Remains – September 16Life Remains, Niranjan K.

In a world where vampires rule, a group of humans struggle to live their lives.

Mabel whose parents were killed by vampires is forced to be the ward of Frederick, one of the vampire leaders. When her latent powers as a witch is awakened, she becomes a threat to the vampires.

With secrets and hidden powers threatening the status quo, both humans and vampires have choices to make. Will they plunge the world into another conflict or do they finally learn to accept one another?

See on AmazonDance With The Sword (Bluebeard’s Secret Book 2) – September 17

With the heart of the Wittenhame still ringing from Izolda’s actions and her new husband shocked at her betrayal, the future seems very grim indeed.

If Izolda had been asked if she wanted to be rescued from her would-be bridegroom and returned to her home and family, she would have eagerly agreed to go, but now that she is back in the mortal world, she is quickly discovering that home, family and even the inclinations of her own heart are not what she expected.

Worse yet, Izolda has unwittingly become a pawn in a deadly dance between two Wittenbrand, snatched from the claws of one of them only to be stolen back by the other.
Will Izolda’s endless common sense still be enough to rescue her from disaster? Or will she fall prey to the terrible ambitions of her enemies?

See on AmazonDance with the Sword, Sarah K. L. WilsonHand of Titan (Priest of Titan Book 2) -September 20Hand of Titan, Paul Mouchet

Fates revealed, an enemy below, unexpected allies.

Kit, a freshly minted Priest of Titan, steps into a plot that seeks to ruin the northern kingdoms.

When she discovers a secret, buried for millennia, Kit is forced into an impossible situation.

Now, unrelenting adversaries stand between Kit and her entombed god. Defeating her enemies strengthens Kit’s resolve, preparing her to fulfil her destiny.

See on AmazonDark Bringer (Kingdom of Runes Book 5) September 29

From Book 1:

Light magic is forbidden.
Dark magic spells death.
Haven has both.

Don’t miss the explosive finale to the bestselling KINGDOM OF RUNES saga!

See on AmazonDark Bringer, Audrey Grey

The post New Indie Fantasy Books Coming in September appeared first on Joy Lewis.

Stolen Mayfly Bride Review

Lyrical, beautifully written prose in an unputdownable story of romantic fantasy–that’s Stolen Mayfly Bride by Sarah K. L. Wilson. When she only lives one day out of the year, how can they be together?

Somewhere early on, I began to care very deeply about Vidar and Elkhana and just how their story would play out.

My god, my emotions. This is a fantastically evocative read. These two are perfect for each other, but Wilson kept me on pins and needles, hoping against hope that they would get their happy ending.

After all, how can the mayfly seer Elkhana and the disgraced fae Vidar be together?

As mayfly seer, Elkhana is trapped in an ebony cage under magic seal to only appear on earth a mere one day of the year. Both are outcasts in their own worlds, belonging nowhere and with no one else.

I loved the push and pull of time in this story. On one hand, Vidar’s time stretches out into near infinity as a fae. Elkhana, a human, is practically immortal, though by some ancient magic that keeps her time on earth reserved to a mere one day a year. Decades pass in the span of what feels like a month to her.

The atmosphere and world building was expertly done. It’s a short read, but by no means does it feel lacking or rushed.

Stop what you’re doing and read this one! And be prepared to be obsessed with it until you finish.

The post Stolen Mayfly Bride Review appeared first on Joy Lewis.

Heir of Thorns: Chapter One

Author’s Note: this passage is unedited, raw material. Some errors may be present.

This passage may contain triggers for some. Individuals with sensitivities to ***violence, mentions of rape, and swear words*** should be advised.

Lavine Blackthorn shoved her palms to the sky, a silent prayer to the mother-god on her lips as her soldiers tore through the belly of the earth. Their limbs entangled with one another, sometimes slowing their brothers down as they were borne to the surface in a sea of bodies.

The gathered enemy horde howled in response, crowing atop their stolen horses and sticking pikes to the heavens like they could feast on the sun with them.

Lavine wasn’t supposed to interfere. Hell, she wasn’t even supposed to be here.

She had been brought with the king’s army to observe. Nothing more.

Now that many of their side laid dead around her, it had proven difficult not to do anything.

So, she did the only thing she could. Only, to the raiders, the spectacle was encouragement.

Some of their enemy wore the armor and weapons of dead soldiers from their side. That, she understood. It was a cruel practicality, but a practicality nonetheless.

And then some of the raiders wore articles of clothing from the village that they had been caught plundering. Though nearly all the raiders were adult males, some sported mismatched articles with their armor like tunics made to fit children and dresses.

Lavine pushed her magicked regiment across the plain with more force than before. As her soldier spearheading the attack encountered the first raider, its jaw unhinged to an angle that would have made any living human cry out in agony.

Her fingertips sank deep into her palm. Despite the pain of it and the bleeding wound at her side, a smile twitched across her lips.

Good.

The corpse heading her attack sank its teeth deep into the leg of the raider. The rest of her undead regiment crashed into the enemy with just as much ferocity. Lavine remembered seeing one of the raiders in front, his grimy shoulder poking through the neck of an ill-fitting, frilly dress.

She pushed the magic in her harder, forcing it from her body as fast as she could, to the point that physical pain bubbled in her belly.

She made sure one of her corpses grabbed that one, bringing him off his horse and to the ground where Lavine could no longer see him.

She prayed to Arwynna, the mother-goddess, that the horse trampled him.

At the edges of her vision, darkness waited like a patient lover, waiting for her energy to be entirely spent. The abused muscles and tendons pushing and pulling inside her screamed at her to put an end to this. Liquid warmth spread along the inside of her shirt. The wound had opened again.

This was the cost of such magic. Lavine gritted her teeth and forced more energy to leave her body. Parts of her body went numb with pain and magic.

As she looked on, more raiders fell, but too many were left to hack apart her last defense. She felt when each of her thralls left this life again.

It wasn’t going to be enough. She needed to raise more souls.

Where are the reinforcements? Where is the rest of the king’s men?

Under the relentless sun, everything was too bright. There were no shadows to hide the carcasses strewn about her, limbs of horses and soldiers and raiders intermingling. There was no shortage of dead souls for her to raise, here. What was supposed to have been a routine patrol had turned into a bloodbath at the discovery of scavenging raiders.

Sweat ran into her eyes, blurring her vision further. When she blinked it away, Lavine saw a cluster of raiders that had broken past her risen soldiers.

One of them was the raider with the white dress slung across his shoulders. Her heart stuttered in her chest.

Somehow, over the rolling distance between them, he saw her. She supposed she wasn’t hard to see, as the only one standing among the dead.

She was going to die here.

And if she wasn’t, there was a fate worse than that, too. She tried hard not to think whether the raiders would wait until she was lifeless to take her clothes as their sick trophy.

He has to die. No matter if I do, too.

Numbness caused from her magic claimed most of her body by now, but Lavine had just discovered something.

That was the key. She no longer felt the pain raking her insides. The more she used necromancy, the more her signature magic filled her with a hollowness instead of other physical feelings.

Though her outstretched hands trembled, she showed them to the sky. All she needed was enough magic to raise the souls closest to her. A soul or two.

It was then that the darkness dancing in her peripherals burst across her vision like a dark star.

She fell.

* * *

The first thing Lavine heard was the voices. She kept her breathing even and her lids closed when she heard her surname.

“Blackthorn is just a child. She shouldn’t have been out there.”

“Nothing that can kill thirty men without lifting a sword is a child,” said another voice.

Lavine didn’t breathe. From the sensations around her, she knew she was on a healer’s cot. Likely the rest of their forces had camped to tend to the injured and dead before moving.

The soldier started talking again, this time in a wisely quieter voice. She heard him anyway.

“You remember the Black Death. This one is just like the mother. They all have those same, lifeless eyes when you stare at them.”

Though she didn’t allow her face to twitch or otherwise signal her consciousness, Lavine found the sliver of pain buried in her side that the healers evidently hadn’t been able to extinguish and cradled it. The pain helped her focus.

That’s how it always was–they tried to heal her, a necromancer, but she never felt free of pain after a healing. There was always some small mark within her, some remnant of her wound that would remind her of her nature.

The soldier finished, “Doesn’t help that this one looks exactly like her.”

The other said, “Don’t talk about the Black Death. She’ll rise from the grave to haunt you if you keep talking about her.”

“Don’t be so superstitious, Johan,” said the other, but he didn’t sound entirely convinced of his own skepticism.

The air changed. It felt like the air before a thunderstorm, the delicate state between peace and fury. She felt it in the way it brushed against the side of her exposed cheek.

Something had changed.

“Get up, Blackthorn.”

She had only heard that voice directed at her twice before. With her façade of sleep ripped away, she opened her eyes.

If the soldiers were surprised to find her awake, they did a good job at hiding it. That, or they were too busy staring at their commanding general to care about her anymore.

It was elegance, vandalized.

His face was an oil-paint portrait of a manor’s patriarch, but there was more to it than that. It was as if someone had taken down the painting and scored three bloody, jagged lines in the center of it.

Tiny vines lined his cuffs and the collar of his armor. Swords crossed at his back, sheathed. Though his face was the obvious place to stare, what truly arrested her was his eyes.

It wasn’t that they were an interesting color or shape. It wasn’t that his eyes looked at her with something that she hadn’t seen already in the eyes of court lords and ladies, servants, or her own sister.

No, there was something in his eyes underneath the usual distaste and fear she was accustomed to seeing. She couldn’t name it, but it made the back of her throat prickle.

She tilted her head at him, but she noted that he did not return the greeting.

“You’re coming with me.”

She felt something crawling up her throat. A second later, and she realized it was vomit.

The memory was hard to forget. Lavine had been told to keep with the forces in the rear. It was one of the more defensible positions, she’d been told. Just in the odd case that they came across anything other than villages and grazing cattle.

What she had spent at least a day of their journey trying to puzzle out was how she was supposed to “observe” and “train” as one of the other soldiers when most of them were in the front of the camp. She traveled in the rear with the men who sent out messages on birdwing to any number of other camps identical to this one, patrolling central Noverim like there was something to see here besides grass and piles in it left behind by cows.

That was when she’d realized she hadn’t been meant to observe. Someone along the way had decided that, even though her mother had been a high-ranking specialty officer, the kingdom wasn’t going to have a second female officer in its ranks.

Or, at least one that actually did anything.

It was sometime after this revelation that the “most defensible position” in their camp had been ambushed by the largest swarm of raiders she had ever seen. The attack had started on the rear of their forces. Men whose job it was to send messages to the generals died with pikes poking out through their skulls.

She remembered seeing the trail of smoke from a burnt village, nameless to her and probably erased from the map by the monsters.

She’d been told directly by the troop’s commanders to flee at any sign of trouble. She’d been told, over and over, that raising too many souls at once would kill her. That raising human souls was too risky for a raiser of her experience.

But there’d been little choice for her when she had seen the raiders.

Before the general could wrench her from the cot, Lavine slipped off it, thankful that the healers had kept her in her training tunic and trousers rather than something like a nightgown.

That’s because they wouldn’t put a soldier in a nightgown, even a sixteen-year-old one.

Lavine refused the fear from spreading across her face. Instead, she levelled her chin, tried to ignore the growing suspicion that the men that General La Gora had entered with were there to restrain her, and walked up to him.

“Sir?”

The general looked as if the word were an insult.

She stopped herself from saying more.

She wasn’t stupid. She knew the road she was headed down, now. She had disobeyed direct orders.

Even if it had been to save the lives of the men, the soldiers and messengers at the rear of the camp.

As her fears were realized and the men in her periphery converged on either side of her with weapons at her back, she considered that she hadn’t actually saved any lives.

Those men had all died, anyway.

“Walk,” was all he said before he turned and led them all from the healer’s tent.

Author’s Note: Thanks for reading this preview of Heir of Thorns, the prequel to The Crest of Blackthorn series. If you read this sneak peek and enjoyed it, feel free to email me at joylewisauthor@joylewisauthor.com to say so! The full version is not yet ready, but knowing you’ve read it will help with morale.

For news on when Heir of Thorns will be finished, join my email list.

The post Heir of Thorns: Chapter One appeared first on Joy Lewis.

What happened in Wither Thorn? A Recap before Soul Sworn Releases

***The following spoils the main plot of Wither Thorn. Proceed at your discretion.***

Caia Blackthorn is the younger of two sisters and next in line to inherit the famed yet feared magic of “soul raising”–also known as necromancy. Unlike the other three houses of magic (naturalism, purification, and charming), only one blood line in existence will produce raisers. Their powers manifest on their sixteenth birthday.

In the country of Noverim, its king holds captive the only known line of soul raisers, the Blackthorn family. On her sixteenth birthday, Caia Blackthorn dreads the awakening of the accursed magic inside her.

However, something’s wrong. Caia’s magic hasn’t manifested by the end of the day, and she fears her only remaining family, her capable older sister Lavine, is being punished for her failure when Lavine is called to the castle dungeons.

What she discovers there is a secret too disturbing to stomach–Lavine has been torturing King Arcturus’s enemies. Caia discovers that the king plans to use both of them as instruments of war, as soldiers and torturers.

However, as Caia learns, Lavine’s compliance to the king is a cover for her secret plan to allow both of them to escape the castle. Lavine made a promise to their deceased mother to get them out of the castle. They flee as the castle guards and King Arcturus pursue them. Lavine duels with one of the king’s generals to buy them more time.

To fulfill her promise, Lavine sacrifices her freedom for Caia’s. She is left behind while Caia escapes to a camp of war refugees squatting outside the Royal Capital. This is when Caia’s powers finally manifest, and she can hide it no longer–she is a necromancer.

Caia finds allies in a refugee of war gifted in purification magic (Galen) and a defected soldier harboring a dark secret and a smart mouth (Rigel), and together they journey to the neighboring country of Llyra for safe haven while avoiding the spies and soldiers sent by the king to capture Caia.

On their way there they arrive in Raien, a city illuminated at night by naturalist flames. Caia learns her sister is going to appear at a masquerade ball inside the city, and the three make plans to infiltrate the party using disguises to save Lavine.

During the night, Caia and the healer Galen, disguised as a servant, share a kiss. They break away when Caia notices it’s nearly time for her sister’s appearance.

Galen is harassed by a war general and other soldiers who believe him to be a serving boy. Galen recognizes the danger these men pose. With his knowledge of medicinal plants, he decides to dose the wine of some of the masked soldiers and guests.

The dosed masqueraders begin dropping to the floor when a figure appears on the balcony. Caia rushes to get a message to her sister, but it’s a trap.

Using the forbidden magic of mind control (a type of charming magic), King Arcturus captures Caia and forces her to raise macabre dancing skeletons as a show of his power.

Rigel forces Galen to flee the masquerade with him as they fight off the undead. They leave the city for the most likely place where the king has taken Caia–the brutal prison known as Ulun-dur.

Ulun-dur is a dark tower deep in the southern deserts. Caia learns from a fellow prisoner (her mother’s midwife), that her deceased mother lied to everyone about the date of Caia’s true birthday because of a prophetic dream. Her mother hoped for Caia to leave the castle before she turned 16 and gained full use of her magic.

Although Rigel and Galen try to break Caia out of Ulun-dur, a mystery party gets there first. Nocturni, beings living in the southern deserts who drink blood and devour corpses for sustenance, believe Caia is their prophesied savior.

Caia, Rigel, and Galen break free of the Nocturni, but on one condition–Caia has promised her servitude at a later date to a Nocturn named Soren.

Just before they reach the walls of Llyra, the Nocturni ambush them in the desert. This leaves Galen near-death, and Rigel has been bitten.

As they cross the desert in low hopes, Caia and Rigel piece together their histories (Rigel’s past as a soldier and Caia’s experience at the masquerade), and they realize that the king of Noverim secretly possesses charmer magic. The king uses it to control the minds of others, like those of the soldiers in his armies.

When Caia finally crosses the border from Noverim to Llyra, she reveals King Arcturus’s secret to the minister of Llyra in hopes that he can stop the evil king’s conquest.

The minister agrees to help, but only if Caia aids in the upcoming skirmish between Llyra and Noverim’s armies.

In the Battle of Sandstorms, Caia uses her knowledge of King Arcturus’s magic to temporarily sever his mind’s control over his own soldiers, thus exposing him as a charmer to everyone on the battlefield.

For now, Llyran forces have staved off Noverim’s looming invasion.

The post What happened in Wither Thorn? A Recap before Soul Sworn Releases appeared first on Joy Lewis.

Graceling Review

I’m not sure how I haven’t picked this one up sooner. It has: a girl gifted with killing men with her bare hands (who is also a general badass), a supportive, healthy romantic relationship in YA fiction, and a compelling fantasy world that is bursting with potential.

Katsa’s such an interesting character, and one I don’t think we see a lot in young adult fiction.

She’s extremely strong, but she has difficulty relinquishing any sort of control in her life to other people. For most of her life, she’s depended on herself and herself only for her wellbeing.

But she’s also incredibly admirable–and instantly relatable. By night, she saves innocents across borders and trades in information to help other people. Even within the constraints of her situation (no spoilers!), she finds a way to be good.

Enter one prince with eyes of gold and silver. But the cool thing about Po (other than him being a general delight) is he doesn’t push past Katsa’s boundaries. He’s understanding and completely supportive. He doesn’t save her (in fact, I’m pretty sure she saves him several times).

Add to this the fact that Po is also blessed with some pretty cool abilities himself (again, I won’t spoil anything!), and Graceling has quite a bit going for it.

Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the new covers for the Graceling Realm series. They’re an absolute feast for the eyes! I mean, just check out Winterkeep.

What do you think of Kristin Cashore’s Graceling? Sound off below!

The post Graceling Review appeared first on Joy Lewis.

10 Tips to Read More Books in 2021

1. Read books in every format.

Have an ebook, audiobook, and a physical book to read. Doing this means you’ll always have a book on hand. This means you might read your ebook on your lunch, listen to your audiobook on the way home, and read your paperback as you wind down for bed.

This is also a great tactic to prevent a reading slump.

2. Listen to audiobooks on long commutes or while doing chores.

Riffing off the first tip, always having an audiobook to read means you can easily get in a chapter or two a day while doing activities you would do anyway. Soon, the hours will add up, and you’ll have read all of Bram Stoker’s Dracula while doing laundry!

3. Try Kindle Unlimited, buy omnibus editions, and borrow from your library.

This one’s really three tips in one, but it’s important to note that you have options if you’re on a budget.

Even though these tips won’t have you spending a lot, these are all great ways to support the authors and publishers of the books you read, which in turn helps them put out more books!

4. Try some short stories or novellas.

If you do fall into a reading slump, a quick fix could be a novella or a few short stories. You’ll blaze through the pages only to realize you’ve finished another book for your reading goal.

Once that takes some pressure off you from having to read x amount of books for the month, you can relax and pick up some longer works again–or stick to the short reads!

5. Keep track of your progress on Goodreads.

And while you’re at it, set a reading goal for the year. Whether you try to challenge yourself or set a goal you know you can reach, a concrete goal will help you understand your reading habits better.

And the more you know about how much you read, the more you can push yourself to read more books.

Which is always #goals.

6. Read in series.

It’s probably the fastest way to breeze through 4, 5, or even 10+ books.

7. Change it up.

If you’re not enjoying a book, consider coming back to it rather than trying to plow through the rest of it. If you’re still intrigued by the story, you’ll come back to it. If not, you’ve saved yourself some time to start reading a book you’ll really love!

8. Check out your favorite authors’ backlist of other titles.

Chances are, you’ll like some of their other books, as well.

9. Join a read-along online, participate in #bookstagram or make friends on Goodreads.

Basically, find your community. This tip doubles as both a source of accountability and of belonging.

Doing some form of a book club can be a rewarding experience, especially when you all get to that chapter. You know the one.

10. Read what you want to read, not something you feel you should read.

If you’re not sure what it is you want to read, try out different genres to get a feel for the kinds of books you can devour.

If you know what you like but need ideas on what to read, try out a new author you’ve never read before in a genre you love.

No matter how many books you read in 2021, enjoy all the new worlds!

The post 10 Tips to Read More Books in 2021 appeared first on Joy Lewis.

My 2020 Book Awards

According to my Goodreads, I read 22 books in 2020. Although it’s short of my goal for the year, I consider it a win after writing roughly 200,000 words during a pandemic. Earlier this year, I briefly quit both writing and reading (don’t worry, I’m back to both!). I’ve since made peace with my worries as best as I can by getting back inside the many wonderful worlds of fiction.

But enough of that–I’m grateful that 2020 exposed me to some amazing reads in young adult fantasy.

…

Okay, I’ll confess.

For all these, I couldn’t choose just one. But for each award, I’ll recommend different books for different readers. Let’s begin!

Best Standalone Books

Although both of these are romantic fantasy reads, when you consider their tone, they’re polar opposites. Both are worth the read!

An Enchantment of Ravens, Margaret Rogerson

Isobel and Rook’s world is lush, but not only in a physical sense. Rogerson’s prose is breathtaking, and her take on the fae feels both true to old folklore and like a breath of fresh air.

By the end of this book, I was on the edge of my seat, wondering how in the world this story could be wrapped up in just one book. You’ll have to read it to see!

For readers who want a beautiful world wrapped in delicious fae tropes, check out An Enchantment of Ravens.

The Shadows Between Us, Tricia Levenseller

Ever since reading this one, I’ve seen a lot of heated discussion over the heroine. Specifically, some folks say Alessandra’s unlikeable, unrelatable, and generally irredeemable.

I have to disagree!

Sure, she’s not your typical young adult protagonist. And I’m not denying that our girl has a lot of faults. But I can believe in what she fights for, and I can relate to the hunger for more that burns in her. More than anything, Alessandra is a nuanced character.

To pull from my earlier review (which can be found here), The Shadows Between Us is an ode to every underestimated woman and girl out there.

For those who crave darker reads and unconventional YA heroines, check out The Shadows Between Us.

Best Entire Series

For this award, I’m considering character arcs, plot progression, and overall quality of story across books.

This is another comparison of similar-yet-unlike books. Both series follow a morally gray, utterly badass main protagonist who finds himself/herself in tighter and tighter spots. You don’t want to get on the bad side of either Kaz or Jude.

The Folk of The Air trilogy, Holly Black

Talk about character arcs! Jude really bloomed across her series. By the last book, The Queen of Nothing, she’s a completely different person from the girl we saw at the opening of The Cruel Prince.

She’s one of my favorite heroines in YA fantasy, hands down.

The Six of Crows dulogy, Leigh Bardugo

On the other hand, Kaz’s opening scene perfectly sets up the kind of person he is. He gets some major change, as well (just look at that last scene in Crooked Kingdom), but I believe he started out more distinct as a character than perhaps Jude did.

This is all splitting hairs, however. Both series are worthy of the Best Series Award.

Read Bardugo’s series if you want to explore the gritty world of Ketterdam with a wide crew of characters in their quest to control the release of a new, insanely powerful magical drug.

For a dark twist on the fae filled with betrayal, murder, and one epic enemies-to-lovers romance, check out The Folk of the Air series.

You know what, read these series even if you aren’t on totally on board with those things above–I’m convinced any fan of young adult fantasy should love these books.

Best Audio Performance

This one is a complete toss-up. In 2020, I took a chance and started listening to more audiobooks. It’s been one good thing to come out of the year, at least!

For this award, I’m focusing not only on how well the narrator portrayed the protagonist, but also their performance of the supporting cast.

The Cruel Prince, narrated by Caitlin Kelly

This one in particular was incredibly well done! I’ve come to find that I love audiobooks with a little bit of music in them. It really drove home the tone of what was happening in the epilogue: it was beautiful, mysterious, and dangerous.

Without spoiling things, I can say our main character got what she wanted–but is that really a good thing? This tension perfectly leads into the next book.

More to the point, Kelly’s performance of a young titular fae prince was what convinced me this was one of the best. She captured Cardan’s essence perfectly.

Shadow and Bone, narrated by Lauren Fortgang

Another parallel between two winners: Fortgang’s performance of The Darkling was entrancing. That alone made me glad I listened to the audiobook version. Through Fortgang, he comes through as the brooding, spellbinding leader of Grisha and commander of shadows that he should be seen as.

Fortgang narrated the rest of the cast (and there’s a few of them) just as well. Each character feels distinct and memorable. What’s more, I feel she handled the characters’ accents effortlessly. I mean, this can’t have been an easy book to narrate, but she makes it look easy.

That’s it! What books did you devour in 2020?

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