Danielle Thamasa's Blog, page 16

Novella Review: Thief of Lies by Bree Moore

Hey all, Sam here.

Did I switch up my review schedule last minute so I could write up this review? Yes, I did. And I did it because today is author Bree Moore’s birthday, so why not celebrate it with a review of one of her stories?

I actually read three books by Bree in January: Thief of Lies, Thief of Magic, and The Quill and the Vial…and yes, I will be reviewing them all, as well as working my way through the rest of her backlist. I focused on the Shadowed Minds series because book 3 will be released at the end of February, so it seemed like a perfect time to jump into the books.

And I guess I should also add the caveat/disclaimer that I do know Bree. We met because of being in the same region for NaNoWriMo, but we also live in neighboring towns here in Iowa, so we’ve met up a couple times for coffee shop write-ins and hang-outs. Even saying that, I am always honest when it comes to reviewing and rating books.

All right, let’s get started.

Love, crime, and magic don’t mix.

Lee can phase through alternate realms and jump across St. Louis in an instant. What she can’t seem to do is leave her down-on-their luck thieving crew and escape her overbearing cyborg boss.

When a handsome stranger offers to help her rob a magical antique shop, she agrees. After all, he only wants one thing from the haul: the odd black stone buried at the back of the shop.

Turns out, the stone is cursed. As soon as it’s stolen, horrible things start happening to Lee and her crew. To make matters worse, she’s falling hard for the man who took the cursed stone in the first place.

Can Lee find a way to destroy the ancient stone before it ruins them all? Or will her growing feelings keep her from doing what needs to be done? Thief of Lies is a prequel novella in the Shadowed Minds series.

My Thoughts

Rating: 4 stars

I thought that this was an overall interesting concept. That being said, to me it felt like there was a bit too much telling, too much just stating/info-dumping of information in the first few chapters of this novella. So it took me a little longer to really connect with the story and the characters. I think this is something that can sometimes happen with novellas, especially prequel novellas, because there’s a smaller page/word count to get everything accomplished, including setting up the world and the magic and the connections between characters. Doing all of that, while also having a fully developed plot arc and various character arcs, in only 120-ish pages can be difficult to pull off.

Overall the characters and abilities and setup were intriguing enough to keep me reading and get me invested, and there were many of the crew that Lee’s in that I want to know more about, and I’m sure we’ll learn more about them as the series continues. I definitely want to know more about Lee’s abilities, because they are interesting, especially considering that they might just be killing her.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Lee next. Since I’ve already finished the first full-length novel of the series, I can say that it builds on what we’ve learned here, and adds more nuggets of intrigue and drama, and kernels of revelations and developments that hint at even bigger things to come.

Oh, and this is an urban fantasy series, set in St. Louis, which I have driven past/thru, but haven’t actually been to, made more surprising considering that I live only three hours away now. I do want to go at some point, and I know when I do that I’ll be wondering if I can find some of the places in this series, because that would be kind of cool.

I guess I should also say that I don’t think you necessarily need to read this prequel novella before jumping into Book 1. Yes, I always try and read all of the additions to a series, because I want to understand the full scope of the characters and the overall plot, but Lee reveals enough about what happens in this story throughout the first book so it’s easy enough to follow along.

But, hey, don’t take my word for how interesting this series starter is….give Bree an awesome birthday present and go buy/download her books. You can find them pretty much anywhere books are sold, and they’re even available on KU, or you can pick them up directly from Bree at her website.

Oh, and if you visit her website linked above and sign up for her newsletter, you actually get this novella for FREE. I decided to purchase my copy, but it is available for free, so why not take advantage of that?

Bree can be found on Facebook as Author Bree Moore, and on Instagram and TikTok at @breenovels.

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: Stop Worrying; Start Writing: How to Overcome Fear, Self-Doubt, and Procrastination by Sarah Painter

Hey all, Sam here.

Welcome back to another installment of the Weekend Writer series here on the blog. I had meant to really get things together for the new iteration of this series last month, but all I managed was the usual prompt generation and then prompt share. I hope to not drop the ball again this month.

I have decided to change how Weekend Writer is done because I was spending so much time prepping and writing these weekly posts, doing chapter by chapter deep dives, 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 a creativity 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.

Today I am bringing a general review for a writing craft book I read recently, so let’s get started.

Do you want to write but can’t seem to get started? Are you struggling to finish your novel or frustrated by your slow progress? Perhaps you are starting to worry that you aren’t cut out for the writing life… Let bestselling novelist and host of the popular Worried Writer podcast, Sarah Painter, show you how to skip past negativity, free-up writing time, cope with self-doubt, and beat procrastination. Along with mega successful authors such as C.L.Taylor, Mark Edwards, and Julie Cohen, Sarah will show you how to: smash writing blocks to finish stories faster, handle self-doubt so that it doesn’t stop you creating, trick yourself into being more productive, schedule your time, and much more. Packed with honest, supportive, and hard-won advice, this is your practical guide to getting the work done. Don’t let creative anxiety kill your writing dreams: Stop Worrying and Start Writing today! 

‘Inspiring, comforting, warm and wise. Both new writers and established authors will find something helpful here.’ Keris Stainton, YA author.

‘The best book on writing and productivity I have read in a long time. It tackles the fear and self-doubt we all feel when it comes to our writing in such an engagingly honest way, that there are times when I was laughing aloud because here was someone who truly understood. Written with such heart, Sarah, in her characteristically kind, and gentle way that listeners of The Worried Writer podcast have come to love and appreciate, offers solid, actionable advice that will inspire you to approach your writing with enthusiasm and renewed determination!’ Lily Graham, author of The Cornish Escape

My Thoughts

Rating: 4 stars

I have numerous flags and tabs marking passages that resonated with me as I read this. I think it is a helpful book, and one that was a little inspiring and motivational too. Now I just have to see if some of the tips and tricks end up working for me.

Anyway, I purchased this book on January 2nd, and I can say that this is a very reasonably priced book. On Amazon US it is listed at $4.99 for the Kindle, $7.99 for the Paperback, and $9.99 for the Audiobook. It is also a quick read, coming in at 132 pages in length. So if you want to stop procrastinating and get writing, this book gets to the point quickly and gets you writing again.

That’s the hope anyway, that it delivers on the title’s promise. I mean, sure, I still deal with self-doubt, and I’ve had to go toe-to-toe with procrastination my whole life, so it is what it is.

But I feel that this book gives some quick tips and steps to help you set yourself up for combating that doubt and fear a bit and have a better chance at writing. The 16 short chapters each have a different tip or step to help you…and I can say that I’ve already implemented a few of these suggestions into my life.

One step mentions equipping yourself with the right tools, making sure you have notebooks and writing utensils and writing software that speak to you. It’s actually important to invest a little bit into this step, because putting a little money into it means that you’re investing in yourself and your writing. I already do this…probably in excess. I love walking down the office aisles in the store and picking up notebooks, notepads, and pens that call out to me.

Another step has you setting up a writing space, and I definitely took the time to tidy up my writing desk and space, so it feels more welcoming for me to be working in.

Overall, I really enjoyed the little pieces of advice and suggestions throughout this book. It talks about having a writing community, and how to trick and rewire your brain so you can bypass those negative intrusive thoughts and get creating, and what to do if you have a block or a bad writing day. and making time for your writing. These are all things that we probably already know but might have shoved into some dark recess of our minds to ignore.

So I definitely think this little book could be a useful one to people like me who have mostly pushed away from writing out of all of that fear and doubt and belief that we’re not good enough. We are good enough, and we can get better by actually sitting down and getting words on the page/screen. It’s time to stop doubting, stop worrying, and just start writing. After all, every story and every journey has a starting point. This could be yours.

There is even another book in the series: Stop Worrying; Start Selling: The Introvert Author’s Guide to Marketing, and obviously I’m not at that point in my writing life just yet, but I will be picking it up too, because I think it will be just as useful.

For next week’s Weekend Writer, I think I’ll actually just share a bunch of the quotes from this book that struck a chord with me, that really resonated…and then for the final Friday of the month, I’ll get to share some writing snippets and perhaps I’ll even give an update on my current WIP.

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: Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce

Hey all, Sam here.

I had a 5 day blog streak and then I broke it…because my brother-in-law dropped by for a visit. He had been discussing the possibility with David but everything was still just ideas and possibilities, but the other day he texted and basically said “see you tonight,” so we had all of eight hours to get everything ready for him to show up.

Of course, it was lovely to see him again and to have him over for a few days, but it knocked my plans for a loop, as life so often seems to do, so I missed a few days of blogging. I’m still trying to figure out a new work/blog/writing/life balance for this year, and it hasn’t been happening as easily as I’d hoped.

But anyway, I’m trying to start really getting my reviews up for the books I’ve been reading, and here I am with the fourth book I read in 2024 (book three’s post will be coming on Friday as it is a writing craft book). I read 20 books in January and didn’t review any of them, which means that now we’re cruising to the halfway point of February and I have most of my January reads and now all of my February reads that I still need to talk about. Oops…I might end up having to do some creative scheduling to get myself caught up, but we’ll see what happens.

All right, enough babbling about life. Let’s jump into the review.

When it comes to romance, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to play games. A fun YA romcom full of fake dating hijinks!

Musical lover Riley has big aspirations to become a director on Broadway. Crucial to this plan is to bring back her high school’s spring musical, but when Riley takes her mom’s car without permission, she’s grounded and stuck with the worst punishment: spending her after-school hours working at her dad’s game shop.

Riley can’t waste her time working when she has a musical to save, so she convinces Nathan—a nerdy teen employee—to cover her shifts and, in exchange, she’ll flirt with him to make his gamer-girl crush jealous.

But Riley didn’t realize that meant joining Nathan’s Dungeons & Dragons game…or that role playing would be so fun. Soon, Riley starts to think that flirting with Nathan doesn’t require as much acting as she would’ve thought…

My Thoughts

Rating: 4 stars

First, this book was released January 9th in the US, so it is available now. I had actually intended to review it for release day, and obviously I wasn’t really blogging last month, so it didn’t happen.

If it hasn’t already been established by now, if a book talks about the characters playing TTRPGs, then I’m going to pick it up, and so long as the author actually either knows how to play or has done their due diligence researching it well enough to fake it, then I’m going to enjoy it. Oh, and I’ll also say that I’ve read three D&D books this year, plus one at the end of last year that comes out in March, so if you love D&D-style books, we are in for some pretty nice times……..especially if I can get my own book written (I hope).

For the first 30 percent or so, this book was just okay for me, but it really started to pick up from there and I really got pulled into it. By the last 5-10 percent, I was definitely having some emotional reactions to how the story had built up. So yeah, not my favorite story with D&D in it, but overall it was still pretty good.

Now, I will say that the book synopsis is actually misleading, because yes, Riley agrees to flirt with Nathan to make his crush jealous, but she does it because HER ex comes into the store with his new girlfriend and flirts with her. So to try and make him think that she’s moved on, Riley needs Nathan to be her pretend boyfriend. The shift covering doesn’t happen until after they agree to fake-flirt/fake-date while around Nathan’s crush and Riley’s ex.

I can definitely say that Riley acted like a teenager. I’m not complaining about it, especially since I am a 35 year old woman, and I know that this book is not written with me as the target audience. It is aimed at young adults, and the teen years are sometimes known for big emotions and drama and what seems like immaturity to adults, but teens are going through a lot. I remember it feeling like a lot when trying to figure out who you were going to be and what you were going to do with your life, especially heading towards graduation and people are asking about life plans as if you’re supposed to have it all completely planned out already.

So yeah, I’m not going to complain about Riley’s dramatics…she is a theater girl, after all.

I really enjoyed getting to know everyone at Riley’s dad’s game store. Since we get so much of the story from Riley, it was interesting to see her views and opinions change on everyone as she got to know them. Because, at first, I admit that I was ready to put the book down because of how she was describing and thinking about people who frequent game stores. It was that negative stereotype view of things, and as a loud and proud geek, I did not like it. Thankfully, I gave Riley a chance, and was happy to see her views shift. Because, in the end, this book really shows off the awesome community that is built from a shared love of these geeky hobbies.

I got a bit emotional towards the end, when everyone started rallying together to make something awesome happen in spite of the hurdles and speed bumps thrown their way…and I say this in a vague way to not actually spoil the details, but it honestly made me want to have more stories, possibly following some of Riley and Nathan’s friends. It probably won’t happen, because this does feel very standalone-y, but if it led to a series of inter-connected standalones, I wouldn’t complain.

Well, 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 Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

Hey all, Sam here.

This has been the longest week, or it has felt like the longest week. I will be so glad to get finished with my work shift today and head into my “weekend,” which actually is Sun-Tues. I’m hoping it also means that I’ll have time for more reading, writing, and blogging.

All right, we are back with another review of a book I read last month. I had this read in time for its release day (Jan 2) and had wanted to have the review written up then, but with the way work went because of the holiday weekend, I was extremely tired and it didn’t end up happening. That seems to be a recurring issue at the moment, but I’m working on keeping a steady routine again, which means there will be plenty of posts and reviews coming.

Let’s jump into it.

In this romantic fantasy of manners from New York Times bestselling author Allison Saft, a magical dressmaker commissioned for a royal wedding finds herself embroiled in scandal when a gossip columnist draws attention to her undeniable chemistry with the groom.

Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.

But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.

Transporting readers to a Regency England-inspired fantasy world, A Fragile Enchantment is a sweeping romance threaded with intrigue, unforgettable characters, and a love story for the ages.

My Thoughts

Rating: 4.5 stars

This was a soft cozy gentle fantasy (I mean, look at that cover. It’s just dripping with soft gentle romance) that held a little bit of edge, and it was extremely clear that “Bridgerton” had a heap of influence on this book. There is a Lady Whistledown-style character sharing gossip and opinions on what is going on in Avaland.

There is a little political intrigue that brings some tension and drama to things, especially as Niamh and Kit grow closer. My main issue is that I thought some of the romance and world-building was a bit lacking at times. While I enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery and the wedding preparations, I wanted more detail about the magic of the world, especially Niamh’s magic. To me it felt like we were just scratching the surface of detail about it, and just expected to move on with the story. But I love understanding the magic. Niamh knew that stitching emotions and memories into her designs had a cost, but it was like she herself felt trapped and obligated to keep using her magic, even though it was clearly killing her.

Honestly, from the beginning, I just expected Niamh and Kit to be together and so following their story was a little less exciting for me. I wanted to know more about the side characters…and some were given more focus than others, which felt a bit disappointing.

Wow, I feel like this review is making this feel less like a 4.5 star rating, but I promise that I was swept away by this book overall, and I did read it fairly quickly. And honestly one of the most fun mysteries of the story was discovering the identity of the gossip columnist. I thought I had figured it out, and I ended up being completely wrong, and that made things really interesting.

Oh, and the relationships/romances of the side characters…or rather the tension and build-up and longing of some of the side characters for other side characters….I wanted more of that because it was delicious.

Anyway, I have enjoyed every story by Allison Saft that I have read so far, and I know I will be reading her next release as well, an adult debut coming this fall….and that I’ve already been approved for on NetGalley.

Well 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: February 2024 Prompts

Hey all, Sam here.

Weekend Writer is back! 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 Pensive Companion Wants to Save the World From A Corrupted Poison But Someone They Love Will Pay The Price

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 Deck

Prompt: Bond, Protection, Commitment

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: This merchant is selling…bubbling potions are being brewed live and sold. Their components are also on sale. The first thing that hits you as you enter the shop is the strong smell of herbs and incense, a faint smoke lingers in the air. The floor is varnished, but ruined in places by dark stains. The stock is carefully arranged, and everything has a hand-written label.

This month I decided to roll the dice on the Markets and Shops/Shop Descriptions pages in the Roll & Play book. You can use the 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. 

Sidequest Decks

Prompt 1: Weird Seance — Two adventurous students have been experimenting with forbidden magic to try and get a date for the student dance. Now a succubus is loose and must be banished before the teachers realize!

Prompt 2: To Protect The Future — Summoned to the Arcane Hall, the PCs are asked to escort a young mage of prophecy to a safer location. Before they leave, however, the Hall comes under heavy attack by necromancers.

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 Arcane Academy 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 Secret Society Will Be Given A Religious Relic To Alter Themselves But a Rival Stands in Their Way

Next, we have The Oracle Story Generator by Nord Games. They have a Character Generator as well, but that one won’t be shipped out for another couple months. 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: In the Crownless Vale, a Haven for Mythical Creatures, there is the Henge That Wanders, once a Sacred Druidic Site. However An Important Guardian’s Powers Are Failing.

The newest 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 Myth & Magic fantasy expansion deck. But, 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.

Based on these prompts, I’m leaning towards either using the Roll & Play herbal shop or the Deck of Worlds Henge That Wanders, but I haven’t completely decided yet. Either way, I look forward to sharing a little snippet of my writing when we reach the final Friday of the month.

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

January Wrap Up

Hey all, Sam here.

Wow, January was a pretty awesome month for reading, at least for me anyway. I am happy to say that I was having a great time reading, and I found myself finishing up quite a few fantastic reads. The downside was that I wasn’t then spending time after finishing each book getting a review prepped…so I’m a little behind on that, but it’s okay. I’ll get these books reviewed.

I have started on this review progress with my first review post of the year, which went live yesterday. And today’s wrap-up post will give you a good idea of some of the reviews coming soon. I just need to get them typed up and scheduled.

I think February is going to be a busy month of talking about books.

Let’s get started…

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire — 5 stars

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft — 4.5 stars

Stop Worrying; Start Writing: How to Overcome Fear, Self-Doubt and Procrastination by Sarah Painter — 4 stars

Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce — 4 stars

Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa — 5 stars

Who We Are In Real Life by Victoria Koops — 3.5 stars

Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Crystal Chan, and SunNeko Lee — 4 stars

Thief of Lies by Bree Moore — 4 stars

Thief of Magic by Bree Moore — 4 stars

The Tales of Exandria: Artagan #1 by Matthew Mercer, Sam Maggs, Aviv Or, Cris Peter, and Ariana Maher — 5 stars

Manga Classics: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Stacy King, Nokman Poon, and Crystal S. Chan — 4 stars

The 5 Sentence Method: How to Write Your D*mn Book, Already by Rebecca Thorne — 4.5 stars

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by Amelie Wen Zhao — 4 stars

Brewed in Magic by Jenna Wolfhart — 5 stars

The Quill and the Vial by Bree Moore — 4.5 stars

Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio — 4 stars

The No-Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall — 5 stars

The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton — 3.5 stars

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi — 4.5 stars

Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith — 5 stars

All right, well that is all from me for today. Let me know how many books you read in January in the comments…and definitely let me know what your favorite reads of the month were, because I’d love to know what books I need to add to my TBR.

Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.

NetGalley Review: Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire

Hey all, Sam here.

After all of the snow that was dumped on us a couple weeks ago and the absolute frigid temperatures the following few days, our schedules and life got a little topsy-turvy.

Basically when David and I got home after our shift on Saturday a couple weeks ago (which ended at 2 am Sunday, so we got home around 3am due to caution because of road conditions), we discovered that something had busted inside our tankless water heater and water was gushing out in the basement. On top of that our furnace was failing and our house was at a very chilly 38 degrees Fahrenheit.

The furnace issue got resolved fairly quickly, but we had so many issues getting plumbers, even emergency plumbers, to return our calls. For nearly two weeks we only had running water in one bathroom, and it was cold water…so it made it extremely difficult to do things like dishes or cooking or bathing. We are so thankful to our friends who let us come to their homes for laundry and hot showers.

Needless to say, it made it difficult to focus on blogging or writing, even though I was doing plenty of reading to escape from reality. So, although I’ve read like 20 books in January, I haven’t reviewed any of them….until now. I have plenty to catch up on, so let’s see if I can get into a normal blogging routine starting now.

Speaking of, let’s go ahead and jump into today’s review.

Dinosaurs and portals, and a girl who can find both in the latest book in the Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning series.

Antsy is the latest student to pass through the doors at Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children.

When her fellow students realize that Antsy’s talent for finding absolutely anything may extend to doors, she’s forced to flee in the company of a small group of friends, looking for a way back to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go to be sure that Vineta and Hudson are keeping their promise.

Along the way, temptations are dangled, decisions are reinforced, and a departure to a world populated by dinosaurs brings untold dangers and one or two other surprises!

A story that reminds us that finding what you want doesn’t always mean finding what you need.

My Thoughts

Rating: 5 stars

This was my first completed read of 2024, and as with the rest of the series, I flew through it. This novella was released into the world on January 9th, although I read it on the 1st. Honestly, I probably could have read it sooner, because it was sitting on my e-reader for a little while, but I wanted to wait until closer to release day, especially knowing that it doesn’t take long to read a novella.

Anyway, this is the 9th installment in the Wayward Children series, and while most of them can basically be read in any order, I recommend reading them in publication order. That being said, this one makes the most sense if you’ve at least read the previous novella, Lost in the Moment and Found. I read and reviewed that one last year, so you can check out my thoughts for it as well.

I’m glad we got Antsy as our main character for two stories in a row. I love how connected she is to all of the Doors and the journey of finding things that she goes on through both of them.

Honestly I’ve really enjoyed the way McGuire sets up this series in a non-linear way. Some of the novellas are set in the past and introduce us to characters and show how they get to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, while other novellas are set in the “present” and we get to see several of these characters interacting with each other at the school.

With any of the “present” novellas, we could get little hints into other characters’ adventures or pasts…which could indicate another story already released or one that might be written and released in the future. That’s honestly why there’s a certain freedom in reading order…although again, even saying that, I still think reading them in publication order is the way to go.

Anyway, this one definitely lives up to the portal fantasy name, because thanks to Antsy’s ability to locate Doors, we get to visit a few different places, and once again there is a journey of learning, growth, discovery, and adventure. We get to see the dynamics between many of the wayward children, because some have had happier adventures than others, and what they’ve experienced has affected them in different ways. Some we met in story one and their adventure isn’t complete yet.

It’s cool that we get to see them pop up in so many different books and see different snippets on their journeys, although that does sometimes make it difficult to follow because there are just so many characters we’ve met over the course of nine novellas. I’m honestly to the point where I’m going to need to start going back and re-reading over all of these. Which isn’t something I’m upset about. I love McGuire’s ability to weave such an emotional, sometimes harrowing, sometimes whimsical, always fantastical story in such a short number of pages.

While I had read a couple McGuire books before this series, it was Wayward Children that moved her to the level of auto-buy author. Well…Wayward Children and then the Alchemical Journeys books.

If you haven’t read this series yet, the first one is Every Heart a Doorway (which I apparently never reviewed) or you can get a bind-up of the first three called Be Sure.

Book 1: Every Heart a Doorway

Book 2: Down Among the Sticks and Bones

Book 3: Beneath the Sugar Sky

Book 4: In an Absent Dream

Book 5: Come Tumbling Down

Book 6: Across the Green Grass Fields

Book 7: Where the Drowned Girls Go

Book 8: Lost in the Moment and Found

Book 9: Mislaid in Parts Half-Known

Book 10: (Untitled but expected in January 2025)

Clearly, I also need to do a re-read so I can review the ones I apparently never reviewed on here. I guess that’ll be a goal for 2024, possibly something I’ll do towards the end of the year. Maybe I’ll do Novella November. Then I’d be refreshed on the Wayward Children series before the next book comes out.

Anyway, that is all from me for today. I know it got a little long there because of my rambling and such, but that’s okay. Tomorrow I’ll be back with my January Wrap-Up, and then Friday will be February’s Writing Prompts for the Weekend Writer series. Hopefully Saturday and Sunday will be more book reviews, but we’ll see what happens. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself.

Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.

February 2024 TBR

Hey all, Sam here.

It’s been a little while since I’ve done a TBR. I started doing a broad seasonal style TBR because my reading desire and mood was so flighty for a while last year…but if my January reading is any indication, I might be back to my normal reading drive, which means I might be able to mostly stick to a TBR again.

So, you know what, I’m going to try for February.

And hey, even with February still being the shortest month of the year, this year it has an extra day, and that potentially means a bunch more reading to accomplish.

First up, some of my NetGalley reads. I’m really trying to keep up with the newer releases, and I’m doing a pretty good job on the reading side, but need to get hopping on the review writing side.

Okay we have: Conspirator’s Kingdom by Elyse Thomson (Feb 6), Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart by GennaRose Nethercott (Feb 6), An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson (Feb 13), and The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden (Feb 13)

There’s also: A Flame in the North by Lilith Saintcrow (Feb 13), To Cage a God by Elizabeth May (Feb 20), A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L Jensen (Feb 27), and Daughter of the Bone Forest by Jasmine Sky (Feb 27)

That’s a bunch of books already, but I have a few others I’m hoping to read as well, and these ones are new releases or continuations of series I’ve been enjoying recently.

Finally, I have: Gothikana by RuNyx, So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole, Lady of Embers by Melissa K. Roehrich, and Clarion Call by Cayla Fay.

Now there are other books that I’d like to read as well, but I’m trying not to make this list uncontrollably large…because in reality I know that my TBR (both owned and anticipated) is HUGE. I have approvals on NetGalley for book releases through like September, plus since I didn’t read as many of the books as I’d hoped to the past couple of years, I’m a bit behind on my owned TBR, so ideally I’d like February to be as productive as January.

If I’m able to read another 15-20 books, then obviously that’s more than I have listed here.

I’m really excited about my reads for February, and I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you on them in the next couple of months.

What books are you hoping to read in February? Tell me in the comments because I’d love to know.

That’s all from me for today, but I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.

2023 Book Haul Sept-Dec

Hey all, Sam here.

So yeah, this post is about three weeks later than I had wanted to release it, but I mentioned before that the beginning of the month threw us a couple curve balls. We have actually been without hot water at our house for two weeks now, which has been frustrating, but we should finally be getting a new water heater installed in a couple days. It’ll be nice to not have to rely on friends to be able to take showers, and it would certainly make doing dishes a lot easier.

Anyway, I owed you all the final few months of book hauls from 2023, so let’s do a little breakdown of everything I picked up from September through December.

September

FairyLoot books: If I Have to Be Haunted by Miranda Sun and Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares

Cincinnati Comic Expo Book Haul: Farther Side of Away: 10th Anniversary Edition by Signy Cullen, and Stone of War, Dance of Dragons, and Crystal Memory by Allison Rook

Obviously, I didn’t buy a lot of books in September. I only grabbed a few books while David and I were working the booth with Mousai Crafts at Cincinnati Comic Expo.

October

FairyLoot books: The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie and The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan, Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody, Gentle Writing Advice: How to be a Writer Without Destroying Yourself by Chuck Wendig, Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes-Smith, Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson, A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, Lore Olympus: Volume 5 by Rachel Smythe, The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub, Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle, Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis, The Quill and the Vial by Bree Moore, The Lady’s Last Song by Bree Moore, Raven Born by Bree Moore, Thief of Magic by Bree Moore, Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli, The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan, The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft, House of Marionne by J Elle, Spellbinders: The Not-So-Chosen One by Andrew Auseon, and Unholy Terrors by Lyndall Clipstone

October was clearly a good month for book buying. Probably my favorite purchase of the month was the books by Bree Moore. She is a local to me author who lives in the next town over, and I am happy to say that she has become a writer friend. We are in the same region for NaNoWriMo and have had a few write-ins at area coffee shops. I’ve read a few of her books so far and hope to have reviews start posting here on the blog soon enough.

November

FairyLoot books: The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker, Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard, Eragon: Illustrated Editions by Christopher Paolini, Murtagh by Christopher Paolini, Candela Obscura Rulebook by Darrington Press, an ARC for Evocation by S.T. Gibson, Ascension: Rise of the Phoenix by Jessi Lyn, The Darkness Before Them by Matthew Ward, Champion of Fate by Kendare Blake, Dark Moon, Shallow Sea by David R. Slayton, Tonight, I Burn by Katherine J. Adams, Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb, Gods of the Wyrdwood by R.J. Barker, and Barrow of Winter by H.M. Long

What’s fun about my November haul is that it includes a physical ARC from Angry Robot. I was very excited to participate in the cover reveal for Evocation by S.T. Gibson, and I’m definitely excited to read and review that. Expect my thoughts…probably in a couple months.

December

FairyLoot books: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez, Faebound by Saara El-Arifi

The Book Loft Mystery Box: The Princess Beard by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne, The House on the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune, A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill, and Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

Animorphs #4: The Message Graphic Novel by K.A. Applegate and Chris Grine, Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa, All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley, Lady of Darkness by Melissa K. Roehrich, Powerless by Lauen Roberts, To Kill a Shadow by Katherine Quinn, How to Write a Successful Series by Helen B. Scheuerer, The Linchpin Writer by John Matthew Fox, A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by J. Penner, The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, A River of Golden Bones by A.K. Mulford, Rain of Shadows and Endings by Melissa K. Roehrich, Blood of the Earth by Heather Peck Quass, and Lady of Shadows by Melissa K. Roehrich

I love getting Mystery Boxes from The Book Loft of German Village. It was one of my favorite indie bookstores to go to back when we still lived in Ohio, and I decided to get myself a box as a Christmas present. I gave them the prompt of cozy fantasy similar to Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree and Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne. I was pleased with the choices, but they were mostly books I had read or owned already, so I passed them on to fellow readers.

So December was definitely a good way to end the year when it came to both book buying and book reading. I read some absolutely fantastic books to end my year, and I can definitely say that trend has continued into January….so expect my January book haul and January wrap-up to be epic.

All right. That is all from me for today. I’d love to hear about some of your awesome book hauls from the end of 2023.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.

Weekend Writer: January Prompt Share

Hey all, Sam here.

Wow, what a month it has been. I had fully planned on making a grand return to blogging to start my 2024 off on the right foot…but, of course, January loves to throw curveballs at me.

We had a few extra cold and snowy days in the early part of the year, leading to us actually being stuck at work for almost three whole days—-thankfully, our workplace is a decently sized complex attached to a hotel, and our employers actually comped us some “snow rooms” so we didn’t have to risk the roads. However, we got home to discover that some of the internal workings of our water heater had burst and it was leaking water in our basement…and our heater was basically dying, leaving our house at a very chilly 38 degrees.

The heat got fixed fairly quickly, thankfully. However, plumbers have continued to dodge our calls and texts, and at the point of me typing this up (Jan 23), we are at a week and a half of having working water only in one room of the house, and it’s only cold water. So we haven’t been able to shower, do laundry, or wash dishes, which has been annoying and problematic.

But, I do still intend to get the blog going again. I’ve read 16 books already at the time of typing this, and I need to review all of them, so I have plenty of posts I can prep up. Hopefully February will be better for that.

Anyway, today’s post is to share a snippet of writing I’ve managed this month based on the January prompts I shared a few weeks ago. If you have written something inspired by these prompts this month, or if you want to write something up after this, I would love to read what you’ve written, so please tag me in your post about it.

Prompt: How Does the Party Meet? Option 1 (14)–The characters are old school friends, and meet again at a school reunion OR Option 2 (20)–An anonymous invitation to a masquerade ball led them all to an old manor house.

–I have decided to take on Option 2: An anonymous invitation to a masquerade ball led them all to an old manor house.

Lord Havendash surveyed the lower level of the ballroom from his place on the balcony. Soon the room would be filling, not with the current staff bustling around to place the finishing touches, but with folks from across the realm, and he hoped that at least a few of them would be open to hearing his proposals.

There was too much at stake for this evening to end in failure. For the past few weeks he had paid far too many for gossip and whispers and stories, trying to draw in those he believed would be willing to listen, and more than that, who would be more likely to accept a potentially risky and dangerous task. Even a mere handful of years, he would have found a way to tackle the job himself, but now there were too many eyes following his steps.

There was a shifting in the shadows and a figure stepped out from the back corner of the balcony. “What game are you playing, Havendash? The Guard knows you are up to something.”

“Considering you all trail my movements and monitor all of my meetings and correspondence, Cadrogan, you would know if that were the case. I am merely holding a lavish event that can also facilitate bonds between wealthy benefactors and up and coming adventurers and heroes. It’s nothing more than that.”

Cadrogan said nothing in response, but Lord Havendash knew he was being studied. It was likely that Cadrogan was debating on slaying him now, and the only thing staying the assassin’s hand was the order of those he worked for.

“I know what fate holds for me if I act against the Guard, and I have no desire to end my life just yet. You can slink back to the shadows. I have final party details to manage.” While no words followed his statement, Lord Havendash could feel an openness in the air, a freedom that would not happen if one of the Guard’s assassins or shadows were still nearby.

Letting out a deep sigh, Lord Havendash turned and headed for the stairs. This was all a great risk, but he needed to tread carefully in leading heroes to helping save the city from the clutches of the Guard. And while he hoped he would survive it all, he was prepared to die if it meant saving the city he loved.

Obviously, this is just a small snippet share, but it does make me curious what is going on in this city, and at some point I may write more of this, planning out the details of the masquerade and figuring out more about the Guard, but for now I have other projects to work on.

—

I’ll be completely honest, I found myself drawn to a few of the options from this month’s prompts, and I think I’ll eventually end up writing a short story/novella off the prompt I created from the Deck of Worlds, because that just seemed really cool to me…but I also thought about combining it with the second prompt from the Sidequest Decks, because they sort of synergized together rather nicely.

Deck of Worlds Prompt: On a mountain that is only safely traversable once a year lies the Spa of Hibernation, known to be linked to the legend of a frost creature. Something has appeared on the summit of the mountain overnight (your choice if it is a building, a creature, a sculpture, etc).

Sidequest Decks Prompt 2: The Blizzard — The mountains are a dangerous place to live, made worse by a blizzard. A band of ice elves has decided to wipe out the village, who they consider interlopers in their domain.

I’m hoping it doesn’t end up leading to a full-length novel, but if I can manage a novella out of it then who knows? I might decide it’s worthwhile to release it.

Anyway, that’s all from me for today. I’ll be back next Friday for the release of the February Prompts for Weekend Writer…although I might be able to get some of my book reviews up before then. We’ll see.