News

A few years ago I had this terrible habit of buying the first and sometimes second books in a trilogy without buying the third, most likely because it wasn’t yet published. Then I would forget about getting the third book because honestly I have over 600 books on my to-reads bookcases and I only read about 50 books a year give or take a few (including ebooks and audiobooks!), which means it will take me 12 years to read my entire bookcase if I never buy anything new. Also, I had this fear of ‘what if I don’t actually like the first book and then I’ve already purchased the second one argh’. Simultaneously, I have this fear or loving the first and second books and then not having the third one available, especially if it’s out of print. You know, bookworm problems.

Long story short, I had a fair amount of incomplete trilogies/series on my bookcases.

I’ve had an alert set up on Ebay for Witchrise by Victoria Lamb, the third book in the Tudor Witch Trilogy, for a number of years. I believe Book 3 wasn’t published in Australia which explains why I have the first and second books, but not the third. Australia’s exchange rate to the US and UK has been pretty awful for a long time, not to mention shipping costs have gone up thanks to a certain pandemic. So I finally found an ex-library copy of the book from a UK seller at a decent price with free shipping and now, after many years, the trilogy is complete. Now I can start the series whenever I want.

Not that it means I’m going to read it right away. God no. Do you even know me at all?

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme created by Tynga’s Reviews and hosted by Reading Reality.
It’s all about sharing the books we’ve picked up for the week, whether they are bought, borrowed, gifted, galleys, physical or virtual.
Share your shelves and remember to visit Reading Reality to find more great books!

Purchased

Witchrise (The Tudor Witch Trilogy #3) by Victoria Lamb.

Witchrise (The Tudor Witch trilogy #3) by Victoria Lamb

Only one witch can rise above the coming storm …

When Tudor witch Meg Lytton receives an unexpected legacy – her mother’s magical wand, ring and spellbook – she has no idea her future happiness is in danger. For the witchfinder Marcus Dent is back in her dreams, and he will use any weapon to gain her newfound powers for himself.

Now Meg must discover the secret of Invictus, her mother’s magical ring. Summoned back to Hatfield, she knows a battle is coming. But Meg is no longer alone in her struggle against Dent. Surrounded by her friends, she faces her greatest challenge head-on: losing Alejandro, her beloved. For it seems the Spanish novice has been keeping secrets from them all.

Powers clash and hearts break in the spellbinding third book of The Tudor Witch Trilogy.

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni

This is a special limited edition of The Prison Healer, which was one of my absolute favourite novels of 2021.

Normally when I love a book that i don’t already own in paperback or hardcover, so one I’ve read an ARC of or listened to via audiobook, I rush right out and buy myself a copy. it’s my way of supporting the author and having my own copy of a story I loved. However, my bookcases are bursting and I have slowed down on my purchasing because I can’t read as fast as I need to (courtesy of having, you know, a full time job, among other things).

I deliberately held back on buying The Prisoner Healer because it was getting enough hype that I thought I’d be able to get some kind of special edition. And I’ve waited long enough! The only reason I wanted this limited edition was because of these incredibly gorgeous portraits of Kiva and Jaren by Dominique Wesson. Apparently Noni had a merch shop open for like 3 days in 2022 and I could have got some art prints. OH WELL.

Borrowed

The Lake by Natasha Preston

Hot on the heels of The Twin, the undisputed queen of YA thrillers is back with a scary and suspenseful read about a summer camp filled with dark secrets.

Esme and Kayla once were campers at Camp Pine Lake. They’re excited to be back this year as CITs (counselors in training). Esme loves the little girls in her cabin and thinks it’s funny how scared they are of everything–spiders, the surly head counselor, the dark, boys . . . even swimming in the lake! It reminds her a little of how she and Kayla used to be, once. Before . . . it happened.

Because Esme and Kayla did something bad when they were campers. Afterwards, the girls agreed to keep it secret. They’ve moved on–or so they say–and this summer is going to be great. Two months of sun, s’mores, and flirting with the cute boy counselors. But then they get a note. THE LAKE NEVER FORGETS. And the secret they’ve kept buried for so many years is about to resurface.

I have read The Twin, and I didn’t like the ending, so I thought I’d give Natasha Preston another try.

Monthly Wrap Up

Book Stuff

Number of books read: 5 (off to a good start!)
Finished a series: No
Started a series: Lightlark by Alex Asta
New to me authors: Alex Asta, Grace Tame
Favourite book: The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (no review as it is not YA!)