Ellie Potts's Blog, page 12

Audiobook Review: Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas

Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas was fun. I loved this book. It’s like Hunger Games with Greek/Roman Gods. The FMC is snarky in a good way. I enjoyed the fast pace of the story, and the slow burn of it. It has smexy parts just not as heavy. Do check your triggers, but I’m hard to offend. I liked the twists and can’t wait for book 2. This made me read her Cruel Shifters series, which is just as awkwardly funny.

I’m just a girl. And it turns out, I’m Hercules.

I’m struggling to survive in a Titan infested world where Spartans, immortals from twelve royal families who have god-like powers and obscene wealth, rule over all. A shy-stammering foster child with nothing, I keep my head down, cover my scars, and focus on excelling in school. At least, I try to. Then it happens.

My blood test reveals I’m part of the powerful elite. I’m one of them. A Spartan.

Forced to attend the Spartan War Academy, I undergo the most harrowing test of all time to see if I have what it takes to be an immortal. There’s just a few problems. Achilles and Patro are my scary mentors. Kharon, the ferryman of death, and Augustus, the son of war, are my terrifying professors. Also, I’m pretty sure either someone’s stalking me everywhere I go, or my sanity’s slipping—I have a bad feeling both are true.

I’m surrounded by Villains and they’re smothering me with their hate, obsession, and dark possessiveness. Too bad for them, they have no clue just who they’re messing with.

Perfect for listeners who love:
• “Who did this to you?”
• Extreme Enemies to Lovers
• Morally Gray Alpha Heros
• Stories where the Villains get the girl
• Greek Myths and War Academies

Audiobook Review: All Systems Red (AKA Murderbot)

All Systems Red by Martha Wells is another audiobook you can listen to on Audible plus. All Systems Red is a science fiction novella by Martha Wells, the first book in the “Murderbot Diaries” series. It follows a self-aware security droid, who refers to itself as “Murderbot,” as it navigates a corporate-dominated spacefaring future. Murderbot, initially programmed to protect humans, has hacked its governor module and is now balancing its desire for self-discovery with its inherent instincts.

Once you listen to it you should check out the show on Apple TV, named Murderbot. Alexander Skarsgård plays Murderbot, and he does such a great job playing the synthetic. They created parts of one of the shows he likes which I want it as a real show now. This is a fun sci-fi book and TV show.

Fall

What is your favorite season of year? Why?

I love fall. I love the cool down after a hot summer. And here in the Central Valley it gets HOT. I love the prospect of a storm, even in most cases it might be dust. I love the chill in the early mornings, and being able to catch a fresh breeze in the evenings. I love Halloween and spooky season. And at the end of fall is my birthday.

Audiobook Review: The Serpent & The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

The Serpent & The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent. Okay so I put off listening to this one because vampires are not my cup of tea. But I loved The War of Lost Hearts trilogy, so I got this one on an Audible sale. This does fit in with my love of trial and games, which I think saved it. The banter was okay. The world is interesting, and I liked how the trials were based on the mythos of the vampire goddess. This one I took out pretty fast, but book two took me way too long to finish. I mean almost a month.  But like I mentioned vampires are not my cup of tea. If they are yours I think you will dig this audiobook duology.

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.

But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.

Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown… and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him.

But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari. War for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone – but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.

Audiobook Review: Shield of Sparrows

Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry. It hit Booktok like a storm, and I can see why. I finished this one Saturday. I got it as my free monthly from Amazon music. I liked it cause they are humans. No fae or vampires just humans. The MFC is relatable as the forgotten older sister. There were heart sad scenes that I related with her when she wanted to know what was wrong with her, and why no one ever picked her first. This is a slow burn, but once it hits it hits. The world building was easy leaving me wanting more. It kinda reminded me of Daenerys Targaryen and her life with the Dothraki. I like the monsters and the mysteries introduced in the book.

The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel.

I’ve spent my life kneeling―to their will and to my father’s. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king.

I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood.

But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father’s throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life.

Now I’m crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him―bound to a future I didn’t choose and a husband I barely know.

Everyone wants me to be something I’m not―a queen, a spy, a sacrifice.

But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there’s power in being underestimated?

And what if―for the first time―I reached for it?

Audiobook Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Red Rising by Pierce Brown was another Booktok recommendation and it’s on Audible plus. I like games and trials, and I love dystopian books so this one was on my TBR list. This book is if Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games had a baby in space. So much happens to our young MMC just in the first few chapters I couldn’t stop listening. It is brutal and backstabbing and the action makes it a great read.

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies… even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Audiobook Review: We Kept Her in the Cellar by W.R. Gorman

This retelling of Cinderella is a mixture of Brothers Grimm and HP Lovecraft. It grabbed me from the start, and I had to get to see what happens. it is a little gory, and the horror is good. This is a retelling of Cinderella through the eyes of her stepsister, what if there was a reason they kept Cinderella locked in the house. The audiobook was a fun listen, one of my top audiobooks of last year.

There are always two sides to a story. This dark and twisted reimagining of Cinderella, told from her stepsister’s POV, is perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher and Naomi Novik.

Eunice lives her life by three simple rules: One, always refer to Cinderella as family. Two, never let Cinderella gain access to rats or mice. Three, never look upon Cinderella between the hours of twelve and three a.m.

Cinderella has dark and terrifying powers. As her stepsister, Eunice is expected to care for her and keep the family’s secret. For years, Eunice has faithfully done so. Her childhood flew by in a blur of nightmares, tears, and near-misses with the monster living in the cellar. But when she befriends the handsome Prince Credence and secures an invitation to the ball, Eunice is determined to break free.

When her younger sister, Hortense, steps up to care for Cinderella, Eunice grabs her chance to dance the night away—until Cinderella escapes. With her eldritch powers, Cinderella attends the ball and sweeps Prince Credence off his feet, leaving behind a trail of carnage and destruction as well as a single green glass slipper.

With Cinderella unleashed, Eunice must determine how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice in order to stop Cinderella. Unsettling and macabre at every turn, this page-turning horror will bewitch horror fans and leave its readers anxiously checking the locks on their cellar doors.

#WPPrompt My SO and my work crew.

Who do you spend the most time with?

If I’m not at work with my work crew. I’m hanging out with my hubby. I’m trying to spend as much time as I can, because truthfully I have no idea how much time we will have. My hubby has heart failure. Right now we are waiting on Stanford. He had an aortic metal valve put in 2010. In 2016 he went into AFib and was shocked into rhythm in 2019. He went back into AFib 2023, early 2024 he went in to have a procedure done but it didn’t work. So they had to do a cardio version. This messed up his heart and now he had a partial heart block. We left the hospital with a pacemaker. About March he was feeling weird. They turned off the pacemaker because of a line issue. For a week he was in heart attack mode. We had the lead fixed, but still something was wrong. The heart block fixed itself but his AFib was back. We have been waiting for Stanford to see what they can do for him.

Audiobook Review: Trial of the Sun Queen

Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli is the first book of the book in the Artefacts of Ouranos series. This one is also on Audible Plus. I love books with trials and games, and this book was kinda like the Bachelor mixed with the Hunger Games. It is a dual narration, Soneela Nankani and Corvin King were new to me but they did a good job. An audiobook needs to be a good one to get me to grab the next in series. And this one did. They are also on Kindle Unlimited which is how I’m reading book 3. I give it a 4.5* It is a slow burn Romantasy. It kinda gave me Lightlark feels, but I feel this series is much better. And from what I can see it’s four books open to close. This would be a great summer listen.

Ten women. A deadly contest. Only one can win the Sun King’s heart.

Lor has endured twelve long years of torment under the Aurora King’s rule. Her only desire is to escape and pay him back for every moment of misery she’s endured.

When a surprise release finds her in the hands of the rival Sun King, Lor is thrust into the spotlight as she competes against nine other Tributes for the role of queen. If she wins his heart, she’ll earn her freedom and finally get her revenge.

But Lor doesn’t belong in the Sun Queen Trials. Not only does she not understand why she was freed, she isn’t a citizen of the Sun King’s court. The other Tributes resent her presence and will stop at nothing to ensure Lor is removed from the competition, permanently.

Now Lor must win, because if she loses, she dies. Or worse, she’ll be returned to the evil—and now vengeful—Aurora King.

Audiobook Review: The War of Lost Hearts Trilogy by Carissa Broadbent

This was considered an under-hyped Booktok trilogy. And certain Booktok books with all the hype have not been my cup of tea. This audiobook trilogy is completed and available on Audible Plus until 7/1. I went in weary, it surprised me, and I binged it. The world building is great, and the story flows well. I had a slight issue with the male narrator but he grew on me. The feels I had for Tisaanah and Max had me ugly cry a few times. The surprises that were thrown at me even though I felt it coming broke my heart yet intrigued me.

Daughter of No Worlds book 1
A former slave fighting for justice. A reclusive warrior who no longer believes it exists. And a dark magic that will entangle their fates.

Ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child, Tisaanah learned how to survive with nothing but a sharp wit and a touch of magic. But the night she tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life.

Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, Tisaanah journeys to the Orders, the most powerful organizations of magic Wielders in the world. But to join their ranks, she must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a handsome and reclusive fire wielder who despises the Orders.

The Orders’ intentions are cryptic, and Tisaanah must prove herself under the threat of looming war. But even more dangerous are her growing feelings for Maxantarius. The bloody past he wants to forget may be the key to her future… or the downfall of them both.

But Tisaanah will stop at nothing to save those she abandoned. Even if it means gambling in the Orders’ deadly games. Even if it means sacrificing her heart.

Even if it means wielding death itself.

Check it out if you like Romantasy and fantasy books.