Danielle Thamasa's Blog, page 13

Book Review: A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

Hey all, Sam here.

I’m going to start off this post by calling myself out, because this is not the first book by Hafsah Faizal that I’ve read. It’s just the first one I’ve reviewed, even though I meant to review her debut novel a couple years ago…so my current plan is to do a re-read of that one so I can finally get an actual review posted. I have no plan for a time frame on this, but it will happen.

All right, so today’s book review is for a book that I was definitely highly anticipating, and as soon as I snagged my copy (which meant taking a little trip to B&N almost two hours away), I dove right in…which is what I’m going to do with the review portion of today’s post as well.

Let’s dive right on in.

Why save the world when you can have tea?

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.

Calling on some of the city’s most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the sinister, glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.

From the New York Times—bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame comes the first book in a hotly anticipated fantasy duology teeming with romance and revenge, led by an orphan girl willing to do whatever it takes to save her self-made kingdom. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.

My Thoughts

Rating: 4.5 stars

Tea. Vampires. Intrigue. Blackmail. Heists. A diverse band of intriguing characters…yep, this book had it all. And it even tied into Hafsah Faizal’s previous duology….although you definitely do not have to read those books first.

Okay, yes, while I was very quickly drawn into the characters and their lives and this city and all its intrigues, I can also say that the romance was definitely insta-interest and the feelings were there and strong, even without a lot of relationship building and time together. I do understand the attraction, though, and I think Arthie fought off her interest, not wanting anything to get in the way of her doing what she needed to in order to keep her shop open and her crew safe.

We do jump into the action pretty quickly, with the threats and the job deadline happening quickly and needing to put everything together in a short amount of time, which left this story feeling a little rushed, but again, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Besides, Arthie is the sort of mastermind who is always trying to think and plan ahead for all sorts of complications and their potential solutions, so giving her a complication that she doesn’t have time to plot out every second is probably for the best.

Between my interest in the characters and being drawn into this dangerous heist, I read this book rather quickly…and now I find myself having to wait for news on the sequel/conclusion. Because by the end, we’ve had a lot of intriguing revelations and even more complications, and I am very curious to see what it means for the characters and the city they are in.

Basically I want more and I’m sad that I have to wait. But again, Hafsah Faizal’s previous duology is set in the same world….so I guess while I wait for the conclusion to Arthie’s story, it would make sense to go back and re-read the other duology. Perhaps I’ll see threads of connection that I missed while reading A Tempest of Tea.

All right, that is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.

Manga Review: One Piece Vol 4 by Eiichiro Oda

Hey all, Sam here.

Well, here’s a review that was supposed to be up last year and just ended up sitting in the drafts folder for WAY too long. I had planned to review one volume a week until I had reviewed the 12 volumes covering the first season of the live-action adaptation coming to Netflix…and obviously I went into a blogging hiatus and that did not happen.

Since I do want to get back to doing Manga Monday posts, I guess it’s time to circle back around to a number of the manga that I read last year and try to piece together a review. So…I guess I should say that I will possibly be talking about not just the manga, but also the anime and the live-action show, because I was honestly reading and watching them all at basically the same time. It was a “One Piece” overdose, but at least it was a fun time.

Let’s get started.

Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates was the most feared evil genius on the high seas…until he vanished. Most people believe he’s dead, but only his crew knows the truth: Captain Kuro has been laying low in a small seaside village, posing as a mild-mannered butler until the time for pillage is just right. Now that time has come, and the ruthless Black Cat Pirates are about to attack…

Unless, of course, Monkey D.Luffy can stop them! All Luffy has on his side are the sword-wielding first mate, Zolo; his thieving navigator, Nami; Usopp, a local kid with a knack for telling lies; and his own bizarre rubber-limbed powers. If these four amateur pirates want to stop the entire Black Cat crew, they’ll have to come up with a pretty slick plan…

My Thoughts

Rating: 4 stars

Do you know what really sucks about binge-reading a bunch of volumes of manga one after the other? I don’t pause in between volumes to jot down any notes or thoughts or feelings about them. So then when I finally get around to writing up a review for the blog months later, I’m often extremely vague about my commentary…or I go look up other reviews on sites like Goodreads and use some of the more detailed reviews to refresh my memory of the events in that particular volume.

At least for this discussion of One Piece, not only have I seen the events of this volume by reading it and by watching the anime episodes, but I also watched the live-action twice…so perhaps I’m not quite as vague with this particular franchise.

I think this particular story is what really drew me in to the Straw Hat Crew….maybe because this is where the recruiting truly begins. Like, Luffy met Zolo/Zoro and Nami at the very beginning, so while they were recruited into Luffy’s crew, it doesn’t feel the same as the recruitment for folks like Usopp or Sanji…..it’s not a spoiler to say that, is it? I mean, the series has been out for almost 30 years now. Wow. Yeah, I looked it up and it said on Goodreads that Volume 4 was first published in August 1998….so, I don’t think we can really call something that happened 26 years ago a spoiler at this point.

This volume did have some funny parts as both Luffy and Zolo/Zoro are directionally challenged and get lost a bit. You know, this does make me wonder…when in the manga does the switch from Zolo to Zoro happen…or does it ever happen? Anyway.

Overall, this volume gives us a pretty decent look into the Black Cat Pirates, and you know there’s going to be an epic (for this stage in the manga anyway) fight coming. I already know that the fights get more big and crazy as the series progresses because of a need to make them bigger and better, and with the protagonists and enemies getting more and more powerful, and having more and more ridiculous abilities.

I am not reading this series for any sense of realism. I am reading it purely for the whimsy and the entertaining escapism.

All right. That is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.

Book Review: Just Stab Me Now by Jill Bearup

Hey all, Sam here.

I’d love to have the energy and enthusiasm to write up a great intro for today’s post, but even just sticking to my blogging plan and getting these posts finished and scheduled is proving problematic thanks to my mental health being in a rough patch right now. But I’m going to get through these posts, at least for the next couple days, and then when I get to my “weekend,” which is Tuesday-Thursday, I’ll work on myself….I hope.

Today’s book review is for a book that I discovered thanks to TikTok. It was a series of shorts portraying a writer and her less-than-cooperative characters, and I quickly started going back and watching more and more of the series. When I learned that the series of videos was being turned into a novel, I was certainly intrigued, and I ended up pre-ordering a paperback copy….and then being impatient and buying the e-book on release day so I could read it.

Let’s jump into the review.

A desperate mother. A dubious escort. And a deranged author who won’t leave them alone.

Caroline Lindley is determined that her new romance novel will be her best one yet. Fantasy! Formal gowns! Fencing! And, of course, a twentysomething heroine to star in an enemies-to-lovers plot with all of Caroline’s favourite tropes.

But Lady Rosamund Hawkhurst is a thirty-six-year-old widow with two children, her sole focus is facilitating a peace treaty between her adopted nation and her homeland, and she flatly refuses to take the correct approach to there being Only One Bed.

What’s an author to do?

Based on her popular Fantasy Heroine YouTube Shorts series, Jill Bearup’s debut novel brings us the best of worlds both meta and medieval-inspired. Terry Pratchett aficionados will enjoy the political intrigue paired with convivial, tongue-in-cheek satire. And then there’s the slow-burn, fade-to-black romance too . . .

If you loved Stranger Than Fiction and The Princess Bride, you will soon find yourself cheering on enemies-to-BFFs Rosamund and Caroline as together they learn what it means to be the hero of your own story.

My Thoughts

Rating: 4 stars

The first roughly 60% or so was covered in the TikTok skits, so there will be a lot that feels VERY familiar, even down to the exact dialogue.

I definitely think that the story read fairly quickly, and it was interesting enough to hold my interest, but at the same time, the writing wasn’t exactly blowing me away. I didn’t particularly feel like there was a depth of description or world building or character introspection. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, but I’m more used to epic fantasies, which tend to be more expansive on those elements.

While at first I enjoyed the fantasy scene interruptions that broke the fourth wall and had the protagonists and the author talking, they started to happen so frequently that it was a bit frustrating. Sometimes the scene would stop and start a few times as interruptions happened to discuss something that was happening. As a writer myself, I understand how sometimes we talk to our characters and have imagined conversations with them, so there was some amusement and enjoyment from the interactions, but it pushed the boundary of being done too much and losing the novelty of it all.

I did enjoy partway through the novel when the protagonists started pausing the scene to address the author, instead of waiting for the author to speak first. That was interesting.

I think this had the potential to be really really good, but it didn’t quite stick the landing. For most of the book I was feeling that this was good but overall just average, but there was some surprises towards the end of the story that bumped this from good but average to a solid good, which is why I rated it as 4 stars…and there was a hint at the possibility of future installments as the story added another level of Inception/Meta towards the end.

Overall this was a fun, not-as-serious, part fantasy, part contemporary romance, easy and quick to read story, and I did enjoy it.

All right. That is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and hopefully I’ll be back tomorrow with more geeky content (mental health dependent, but I’m going to try).

NetGalley Review: Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo

Hey all, Sam here.

Yeah, I definitely planned to have this review up on Tuesday, but things got a little topsy-turvy for a few days, so I had to push back everything on my blog schedule so I could accommodate the fact that I had mostly prepared four posts but then didn’t finish/schedule them. I’ll figure out a work/blog/life schedule that works for me eventually.

Anyway, I definitely wanted to get this novella reviewed, because I have been approved for the next novella in The Singing Hills Cycle, and it comes out next month…although you can honestly read these stories in any order.

So, let’s dive on in.

The Hugo and Crawford Award-Winning Series!

The wandering Cleric Chih returns home to the Singing Hills Abbey for the first time in almost three years, to be met with both joy and sorrow. Their mentor, Cleric Thien, has died, and rests among the archivists and storytellers of the storied abbey. But not everyone is prepared to leave them to their rest.

Because Cleric Thien was once the patriarch of Coh clan of Northern Bell Pass–and now their granddaughters have arrived on the backs of royal mammoths, demanding their grandfather’s body for burial. Chih must somehow balance honoring their mentor’s chosen life while keeping the sisters from the north from storming the gates and destroying the history the clerics have worked so hard to preserve.

But as Chih and their neixin Almost Brilliant navigate the looming crisis, Myriad Virtues, Cleric Thien’s own beloved hoopoe companion, grieves her loss as only a being with perfect memory can, and her sorrow may be more powerful than anyone could anticipate. . .

The novellas of The Singing Hills Cycle are linked by the cleric Chih, but may be read in any order, with each story serving as an entrypoint.

My Thoughts

Rating: 4.5 stars

I’ve always been amazed at good novellas. Yes, they have more time than a poem or flash fiction or a short story, but they still have roughly half the length of a novel (most of the time, it seems), and they’re still able to fit in plenty of character depth and growth, as well as intriguing stories and magic systems and plots. It’s amazing and impressive. Being able to pack that much of a punch in only a 100-200 pages is amazing.

Plus, I love novellas for palette cleansers when reading a bunch of huge fantasy books, or just as a way to boost myself up at the beginning of a readathon because I can read them fairly quickly and then I feel accomplished in a short amount of time. It’s the same reason I start my readathons with a few volumes of manga.

Anyway, The Singing Hills Cycle follows Cleric Chih and their talking fantastical bird companion Almost Brilliant, and this particular installment feels like the most emotional of the bunch so far. It was also nice to get to follow Chih back to the abbey where they were trained and get some of those memories, while also confronting fellow clerics who stayed behind while Chih went out into the world.

We get to see this woven tapestry of blood family and chosen family, and the way life paths diverge and reconnect, as well as exploring the nature of grief, while looking at how a person can change over their lifetime and how that can affect those around them and those they leave behind.

For some reason I still don’t own any of the novellas in this series, and I think I need to correct that oversight, because I have been swept away by each of these stories, and I really should have them on my shelves. I also need to explore Nghi Vo’s other works, because I definitely do like her writing style and her plots and characterizations.

All right, that is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.

Weekend Writer: Gentle Writing Advice: How to Be a Writer Without Destroying Yourself by Chuck Wendig

Hey all, Sam here.

At the moment I’m not sure if the writing advice I need is the gentle kind or the harsh kind. I mean, obviously I’m trying to be more gentle with myself when I have multiple days (or weeks) in a row where I’m not getting a whole lot of actual writing down, those days when I’ve maybe only thought about my characters or my world or my plot and tried to untangle some of the knots so I’m ready next time I write.

But I’m also thinking that what I need is to be a little harsher with myself, to be more forceful about setting writing time and then actually doing it…because otherwise it feels like everything else in life gets in the way, and instead of writing, all I do is think about my writing and say that at least I did something with my story.

This month’s Weekend Writer book is one that focuses on that gentle writing advice, and I learned about this book at a time when I really needed it, so I figured it’s time to share that with all of you. Let’s get started.

Finally–a book of writing advice that accounts for all of the messy, perverse, practical, and inexplicable parts of being a human who writes

The truth is that all of the “writing rules” you’ve learned are bullshit. Sure, they work for some people, but the likelihood that they’ll work for you–unique butterfly of a person that you are–is slim. 

That doesn’t mean you’re out of luck! There is meaningful advice to be had in the writing world, and Chuck Wendig is here to deliver it. In this hilarious guide, Wendig will help you discover more about yourself as a writer, parse through your quirks and foibles, and help you figure out the best way for you to get words on the page–without destroying yourself along the way.

With behind-the-scenes stories of Wendig’s own writing struggles, sections on debunking popular advice, self-care tips, and more footnotes than are strictly necessary (or legally recommended by scientists), Gentle Writing Advice will give the unvarnished truth about the writing process and remind you of what’s actually important–taking care of the writer. (That’s you, by the way.) 

My Thoughts

Rating: 5 stars

I read this book at the end of last year, and I can honestly say that I got emotional many times…not to the point of actually crying, but I did tear up quite a bit…because this book hit me in the heart and mind right where I needed to see them/hear them. Because yes, I did re-read some of this out loud to myself.

Writing is hard, especially lately with everything going on in the world. Most of the time I’ve been able to push aside the chaos of world events and escape into a fantasy world, and things are fine. I can still write productively, whether that’s for a story or for my blog…but at the end of 2022/beginning of 2023, a lot of personal life events happened one after the other and it legitimately knocked me so off course that I thought I was just going to be lost at sea.

There were some people in my life who said and did some things that broke me down and left me in ruins, and a tsunami of depression followed. I spent 6-8 months not really doing much of anything creative because I just couldn’t find that spark.

This book came to me when I was finally pulling myself together enough to think creatively, but was still really struggling with being creative. If I’m honest, here I am in April of 2024 and I’m still struggling with being creative. It’s a process, and I’m trying to be gentle with myself because of everything that happened in early 2023. I’m actually re-reading this book right now, so I can mark up passages that stood out to me. Because when I read this in December, I just read it without marking anything. I simply absorbed the words. And I think I needed it then. But now, I want to read through it again while thinking of it more critically when it comes to the gentle writing advice contained in the pages.

I had only read some writing advice tweets from Chuck Wendig before this. I have not picked up his other writing craft books (like The Kick-Ass Writer), but I want to, because I’d like to compare the advice to see what similarities and differences there are. I don’t think I’ve seen other writers do advice books that have opposing advice….so Chuck Wendig giving us a harsh writing advice book and then coming back years later with a gentle writing advice book is really interesting to me.

Oh, and I should say that there is some profanity within this book…so it might be gentle, but it’s not sanitized. Personally I find that it makes it feel more casual, almost as if the reader is hanging out at a bar with Chuck Wendig just talking about writing. Honestly I really enjoy when a writing craft book feels like a casual hangout rather than a lecture or dissertation. I feel like the advice is absorbed more from a casual setting.

The chapters are relatively short in length, so you can read through a lot of this very quickly, which is what I did in December. But you can also just read a chapter or two at a time and sit with what you read and think over it a bit, which is what I’m doing with this second read of the book. You just have to read it in the way that makes the most sense for you.

For right now, the rating above is based on my first read-through back in December. I’ll let you know in next week’s post if it still stands after reading through the book a second time.

All right, I think I’ve rambled on and on enough for today. That is all from me this time. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content…like the posts I had mostly prepped for this past week and then didn’t finish and schedule.

Book Review: Lady of Darkness by Melissa K. Roehrich

Hey all, Sam here.

Oops…I had yesterday’s post mostly prepped but forgot to finish it and schedule it, and I got a little busy at work, so I wasn’t able to get it posted…which broke my 10 day blog streak. But, since I had the post mostly completed anyway, I’ll just do a double post tomorrow. It’ll be fine.

Anyway, I’ve been getting some decent reading time in, so hopefully I’ll be able to keep posting a good amount of content.

But, I admit that part of me is wondering about slowing down with the blog and moving the content over to Instagram and TikTok. It’s always been a little disheartening to put a lot of energy into making up a lot of content and then only getting two or three likes and maybe 10 views and 0 comments. It feels like with the rise of TikTok over the past couple years, blogs have seen a decline. Or maybe that’s just my perceived experience.

All right. Today I am reviewing a book I discovered towards the end of last year, and I binged my way through the first 4 installments rather quickly. I took a little bit of a break, but I’m currently reading the fifth and final book in the series right now. So I’m planning on reviewing this series one book each week until I finish it up.

Let’s get started.

A CAGE.

Owned by a ruthless Assassin Lord, Scarlett Monrhoe and her two sisters have been trained since they were children to torture and take life. They are the most feared trio on the continent, but they are also wild and unpredictable. A tragic night has Scarlett finding herself locked away in a noble’s household, trapped and forgotten, until she’s ready to fall into line.

A CHOICE.
Until the day she is presented with a job. If she completes the assignment, her payment will be something she has coveted for ten years. Revenge against the Fae Fire Prince who brutally killed her mother ten years ago. Is she willing to sacrifice her ideals for retribution?

A MYSTERY.
But when children begin disappearing from her home, all her plans are put on hold as she races to save the most innocent. With the help of old friends, a jilted lover, and a mysterious newcomer who claims the magic of the Fae is possible in the mortal lands, Scarlett delves into the darkest corners of the world. Forgotten secrets will come to light, and she will discover the darkness extends far beyond her own kingdom.

Lady of Darkness is a new adult, fantasy, enemies-to-lovers romance and adventure novel that will appeal to lovers of possessive Fae, wicked Witches, sexy Shifters, and arrogant Vampires. It may have triggers of love-hate themes, sexual scenes (both consensual and non), violence, and jealous/possessive themes.

My Thoughts

Rating: 5 stars

It has been a while since I have been so absorbed into a series that I have wanted to quickly binge my way through it. But I also didn’t want the series to be over so soon, so I made myself only buy one book per pay period, so I could only read one book every two weeks.

Honestly I think that was a good choice. These books have some characters who are going through a variety of events and traumas, and I think taking a bit of time between each book allowed me to step away and enjoy other things. I would definitely suggest checking the content warnings before diving into this series, and if you’re reading and need a break, do so. It doesn’t matter how good a series is if it negatively affects your mental health.

Each of the characters has so much going on, and is put through so much. I honestly enjoyed getting to know all of the characters and seeing how the tapestry of this story started weaving together. The friendships and romances and secrets and banter and…just everything kept drawing me in, deeper and deeper.

I can absolutely admit to being a sucker for fantasy romance books involving the Fae. I have read quite a few over the years, and yet I still find them fascinating. Add in witches, shifters, vampires, as well as an interesting fantasy world plus some action and political intrigue and I am completely sold.

I wanted to know how things were going to work between Scarlett and Ryker/Sorin.

Okay, I will admit, I understand some of the other reviews I’ve seen on Goodreads where they didn’t like Scarlett and didn’t understand her until like halfway through the book, when we really start learning about past events that have affected her and shaped her into the hot mess she is in this book.

And I will say that some of these characters need to be better communicators (a comment I thought many times throughout the whole series), but I understand that some secrets need to be kept or lies/half-truths need to be told for story and drama purposes. It’s just a common element of many stories these days.

Either way, I want more of Scarlett, Nuri, Sorin, Callan, Tava, and all the rest.

That is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.

Weekend Writer: April 2024 Prompts

Hey all, Sam here.

It’s the start of a new month, and that means it’s time for more Weekend Writer prompts! As I mentioned in a previous post, I am making some changes to how this blog series works, mostly because I was spending so much time prepping and writing these weekly posts and it left me so drained. I absolutely loved writing all the writing posts and doing the writing craft book deep dives, but I have to start thinking of my mental health and clearing the path for me to have more time to actually work on my creative writing.

So the first weekend of the month, I will have this prompt post up, and the final weekend of the month, I will share some of my writing: sometimes based on these prompts, sometimes based on whatever novel I’m writing, and sometimes both.

For the other weekends of the month, I will be talking about the writing craft, whether that is sharing writing craft books I’ve read and giving a general review for them, or having a writing related topic to discuss. I’m not strictly planning any of these other weekends. Some of them might even end up being extra prompt shares. So who knows what will happen…I’m just trying to figure out my new process and enjoy myself as I do it.

All right…I currently have six different creativity generator tools in my collection/arsenal. Some of them are technically aimed at TTRPGs, BUT I’ve found that for the most part they work for creative writing just fine as well, which is why I include them all. With each prompt, I take a photo of the prompt randomization (whether that is dice rolls, card draws, or whatever), type up the prompt below the photo, and then I include a paragraph where I give you information about the generator tool I used.

If you know of any other useful tools like these, please let me know. I’d love to keep expanding my collection. It’s cool to see what sorts of ideas can be generated when you use a randomization method for creation.

Story Engine Deck

Prompt: A Witch Wants to Hide an Obsession with a Haunted Portal But They Will Have to Abandon an Important Duty

This prompt comes from this storytelling deck from The Story Engine, which is a prompt and idea generating tool that I adore for both creative writing and for TTRPG plotting.

Tarot/Oracle Decks

Prompt: Communication, Preparation, Teamwork

Once again, I used my Urban Crow Oracle Deck by MJ Cullinane for this prompt. I really like using this oracle deck, because the card names are different from a tarot deck. I do have a few different tarot decks as well, and I might use those at some point for future draws, but for now I’m really enjoying my crow deck. What can I say? I just like crows.

Roll & Play

Prompt: Come and stay at The Saint and Sword. We have a well-kept appearance! Our prices are standard usually. Our bar is busy all the time. The barkeep is known to be a friendly formal elf. Stained-glass lanterns create a colorful, relaxed mood. Velvet soft furnishing on long benches add a chic appearance to this tavern. There are cushioned seats at the bar, from which the regulars converse with the bartenders every evening. (Of course you could also Have a Drink a The Wonky Hippogriff instead. I just liked the idea of The Saint and Sword better).

This month I decided to roll the dice on the Taverns and Inns pages in the Roll & Play book. You can use the many dice I rolled, or if you have your own dice, you can roll on the chart yourself. Or heck, if you want to then you can just choose whichever option sparks your interest. 

Basically, I am playing around with more worldbuilding and fleshing out towns and regions in my current WIP, so I figured I would continue that by giving myself (and all of you) some prompts to help with designing areas to write adventures in.

Sidequest Decks

Prompt 1: Seeds of Contempt – An evil druid threatens to destroy a village by replacing the forest the community has begun exploiting.

Prompt 2: The Defilement – Travelers have taken up residence in a sacred grove. They have slain one of its guardians; the other has been driven off. Whatever they are planning has to do with the eclipse predicted for tomorrow.

The Sidequest Decks from Inkwell Ideas are another wonderful accessory designed for TTRPGs, but can easily be used for writers as well. This time around I went back to the Wilderness & Frontier Fantasy deck, and again, I went with two options as prompt inspiration. You can use either option, and you can either use the basic concept at the top of the card, or you can use the various encounters at the bottom of the card to expand upon the adventure/story further.

The Oracle Story Generator

Prompt: A Mysterious Patron Needs to Surveil A Poisonous Swamp To Find a Missing Person But Time is Running Out.

Next, we have The Oracle Story Generator by Nord Games. I’ve enjoyed playing around with these cards the past couple months, and look forward to doing even more with them in future. With this prompt, you can make it even more specific by either rolling a four-sided die for each card, or by simply choosing which option you like best.

Deck of Worlds

Prompt: The Sundered Apothecary, home to a well of Nature Magic, lies in the Vale of Dreamers, shaped by the Fae and ruled by triumvirate. A strange enchantment seems to have fallen over the land.

A newer addition to the prompt generation is the Deck of Worlds by The Story Engine, and it works in a very similar way to the story deck, but it helps you think about and build either micro settings or small words or huge words with numerous countries throughout. It’s pretty cool.

Since I’m still new to using the Deck of Worlds for prompt generation I chose not to use the full deck. Instead I only used the Worlds of Sand & Story deserts expansion deck. These decks are designed so you can use an expansion deck alone or build it into the main Deck of Worlds. One upcoming month I will do a full setting instead of a micro setting, and give us a larger world that we can explore for a few months of writing.

The Oracle Character Generator

Prompt: Brewer. Tired. Working to leave a Legacy. Their flaw is they are nervous. And a Twist of Fate has left them a little unique (I personally like the one where they reach in their coin pouch and it either always has a coin or is always empty).

The newest addition to this is Nord Game’s The Oracle Character Generator, which finally arrived just before last month’s post, so it is making its Weekend Writer prompt debut here. They don’t have The Oracle Character Generator up on their page yet, but you can follow the link up in The Oracle Story Generator to find all of the cool TTRPG accessories that Nord Games and friends have created.

All right. That is all from me for today. I honestly don’t know which of these prompts I’m picking for this month, but I guess we’ll find out when I share some writing at the end of the month. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.

Book Review: Forged in Magic by Jenna Wolfhart

Hey all, Sam here.

Yes, the reviews just keep coming. I guess that’s what happens when it’s only April and I’ve already read 44 books this year…plus there were all the books I read in the last few months of the year last year that I didn’t talk about here. So, I’m working on catching up a bit. It’s going to take time, especially if I keep reading at a decent pace.

For today’s book review, I’m talking about a book I devoured last fall (and the review for book two in the series is coming this month as well, because I have read that one as well….and book three is out at the end of the month.

I have made it a goal for myself to read more and support more indie authors, and so far I am doing a pretty decent job of it overall. Yes, I am still reading plenty of traditionally published books (mostly thanks to NetGalley, the library, and a few pre-orders), but most of my book buying budget is currently going towards buying indie books and supporting indie author Kickstarters…so hopefully I’ll be posting loads more indie reviews from here on out. You can even see photos of some of my book hauls and indie book features by checking out my Instagram (@SamRushingBooks).

All right…let’s go ahead and get started with today’s review.

A heartwarming, feel-good fantasy romance…with a helping of spice and only a pinch of danger.

Trapped in a tower by the emperor who conquered her homeland, Daella yearns for an escape. But as one of the few half-orcs left in the world, she knows she’ll never be free, much less find her own happily ever after.

Destiny takes an unexpected turn when the emperor offers her a deal. To earn her freedom, she must journey to the mysterious Isles of Fable and track down wielders of outlawed dragon magic. Eager to seize her chance, Daella agrees.

When a brutal storm tosses her ship off course, she washes up on the wrong island—right at the feet of Rivelin, a gruff but handsome elven blacksmith, who seems more likely to stab her than help her. To her surprise, he offers her shelter until the next ship passes through in six weeks’ time.

Daella soon realizes he’s hiding something big. It could be the very magic she’s been tasked to hunt down—the key to her long-awaited freedom. But as they bicker over the flames of his forge, her heart kindles with something she’s never felt before.

When his secrets finally come to light, Daella must decide what’s more her freedom from the wicked crown or the desires of her heart.

Forged by Magic is a complete, stand-alone fantasy romance novel set in the whimsical world of Falling for Fables.

My Thoughts

Rating: 4 stars

If you’ve been around here for a little while and haven’t yet realized it…I’m really enjoying books that are a little more cozy fantasy or cozy romantasy. Don’t get me wrong: I love a good high-stakes fantasy adventure story, but I’m definitely in a cozy hermit era for my life, and sometimes the world just feels so stressful and I just need a lighter escape, something where the stakes are much lower and I know things are going to work out.

Enter books like this one, which does have vibes and stakes similar to reads like Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (which I somehow never reviewed on here. Wow. I guess I’m going to do a re-read and then review it) or Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne (review coming for that one probably towards the end of April).

Books that have more of a cozy fantasy feel to them, at least to me, feel like they are more hopeful, and yes, they do feel cozier as well. There’s food and friendship and found family. Sure, there might be some evil lurking on the outskirts that might be a problem later in the book, but everything will be okay.

For Forged By Magic, there was a sense of coziness and finding a place where you belong, but there was also this underlying romantic tension and steaminess between the two main characters. In some regards this installment of the series had some elements working against it…like needing to establish the world and the lore and some important past events that have affected the present. Book two could just dive in with the new viewpoint characters and hook us with the story.

I enjoyed both Daella and Rivelin. Honestly I’m a sucker for a buff elf, especially one who feels a need to protect his home community. And obviously this first book introduces us to a whole cast of characters here in the Isles of Fable…and I already hope this is going to be a long series of interconnected stories, because I can see a number of side characters who I’d like to see more of. The second book, Brewed in Magic, follows Rivelin’s sister, who we meet in this one.

Plus, the more books we get, the more we get to explore the world and the lore…and I’m a sucker for a world rich in lore and worldbuilding detail. I read Forged by Magic very quickly, and progressed it from series to read after borrowing on KU to series I must own so I can have it on the shelves of my library.

The third installment, Mined in Magic, is set to be released April 30th, and I already have plans to binge it as soon as it arrives on my Kindle…because yes, I didn’t want to wait for my paperback copy to ship, so I pre-ordered the ebook and will snag the paperback later as well.

Give me more adventure, more magic, more romance, more great stories that whisk me away from the real world for a few hours. I want to read them all.

All right. That is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.

NetGalley Review: A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L Jensen

Hey all, Sam here.

It’s been a fun few days trying to get everything planned out for the month of April. Considering that I have a good number of books I want to read, plus my April Writing goal of adding 30k to my current WIP, I wanted to have as much of this month’s blogging planned out as possible, so I wouldn’t need to stress out about what post to prep up for each day.

Honestly, I’m hoping to take it a step beyond that, and take a day or two each week and write up a few posts, so I can have them finished and scheduled and not worry about them. Because I have a lot of books from this year, and some leftovers from the end of last year to talk about. I’m still working on my goal of catching up on my NetGalley reviews.

There are only three days of this month that I don’t have planned out just yet, but I’m sure those will be filled with other book reviews very soon. I’m trying my best to balance my older reviews with some newer ones. Today is one of the newer reads/reviews, so let’s not waste any more time. It’s review time.

A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.

Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.

My Thoughts

Rating: 5 stars

I have been reading Danielle L Jensen since 2016, and I haven’t been disappointed yet. There’s still a few I need to read, but they are on my TBR.

So yes, I was interested in this book because of the author, but also because I do enjoy a good Norse/Viking inspired story. I’m also a sucker for intriguing fantasy stories, and lately I’ve really been a fan of books that deal with gods and those connected to them (what can I say? I’m a cleric main in most TTRPGs).

I read this book so quickly. Freya’s unhappy marriage ends very early on in the story, which is great, because from the beginning I knew that she deserved so much better. Enter Bjorn, and the banter and attraction between our two main characters is pretty evident from the beginning.

But it can’t be that easy for the duo, and there are circumstances that keep them apart, which only increases that romantic tension between them. At the same time, Freya has to try and navigate her new position and figure out how to fight and how to use her goddess-blessed abilities. There’s bids for power, plans for conquest, and definitely some secrets to protect and also secrets to bring to light.

I was certainly intrigued. And okay, there were a few plot points that seemed a bit obvious to me…but let me be completely honest here…I read A LOT of books, and since certain tropes and certain twists/revelations are basically expected, so having some moments of predictability don’t detract from my enjoyment of a story.

There was some action, some romance, some magic and lore, some mystery, and an intriguing cast of characters that I couldn’t help but want to know more about.

So yeah, I loved this book. I own the US edition, the UK edition, and the FairyLoot edition, and I’m definitely excited for the sequel, which I assume will be out next year.

All right. That is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.

March Wrap-Up

Hey all, Sam here.

Well…March was not nearly as good of a reading month as January or February. While I read 20 books in January and 16 in February, I only managed 8 books in the month of March. And okay, that’s still a pretty good amount of books, especially for the average person. I’m just so used to reading a dozen or more books every month.

But I keep telling myself that I did also spend a decent amount of time working on my novel and added a good chunk of words to the book, and I played a good amount of hours of Baldur’s Gate 3. So I was productive in a way that made me happy and helped keep my creative well from emptying out, so it’s fine. And sure, I only finished 4 of the 12 books on my TBR for March, but the rest of those books will still get read…hopefully sooner than later. It’s fine.

I have reviews scheduled for some of these books, so I will add their review date to my rating below. Normally if I’ve already reviewed the book then I include a link to the review, but I’ve still been really bad about keeping up with my blog posts. I’m working on being better about that, so hopefully April will be loaded with content here.

All right, let’s get into everything I read in the month of March.

Poyums by Len Pennie — 5 stars

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen — 5 stars (review coming April 3)

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal — 4.5 stars (review coming April 10)

Godhunter by Isobel Lynn — 4 stars (review coming April 11)

Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana — 4.5 stars (review coming April 13)

5,000 Words Per Hour: Write Faster, Write Smarter by Chris Fox — 3 stars

That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming — 4.5 stars (review coming April 16)

Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson — 5 stars

As you can see, most of these are planned for review in the next couple of weeks. I literally have content scheduled for almost every day of April already, so hopefully I’m able to keep up with that.

At least everything I read this past month was a pretty great read. I like when I have a month of reading really awesome books. 2024 has been filled with some incredibly wonderful books, and I hope that’s a trend that continues.

Anyway, that is all from me for today. What great books did you read this month? Let me know in the comments because I always love hearing about books. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.