News

I feel like I didn’t get as much reading this month as I wanted to because I had to focus on a big project for work. Also I was listening to Iron Flame (Fourth Wing #2) by Rebecca Yarros, and it’s 28 hours. I normally listen to audiobooks that are less than half that length. So it’s actually taking up quite a bit of time.

I did buy a lot of books I’m super excited about, though!

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

The Study Chronicles: Tales of Ixia and Sitia by Maria V Snyder

“Then what were you waiting for?”
He turned to her. “You.”

New York Times bestselling author, Maria V. Snyder, presents a complete collection of short stories and novellas from the dynamic and complex world of Ixia & Sitia. These stories delve into and expand the critically acclaimed Chronicles of Ixia series, featuring readers’ favorite Yelena, Valek, Opal, Ari, Janco, and Commander Ambrose.

This comprehensive collection includes familiar Assassin Study, Power Study, Ice Study, Shattered Glass , and Diaper Study , along with three exciting and never before seen Diamond Study, Wedding Study, and After Study . Readers will also find bonus content with introductions to all the stories, detailed maps, character timelines, and amazing artwork by talented fans. For Snyder’s fans and Soulfinders, this is a must have compilation and guide for all things Ixia & Sitia.

As a fan of Maria V Snyder, I had to get my hands on her self-published collection of shorts, both old and new, from the Poison Study universe.

Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis

Winner takes all: a cutthroat competition for the world’s best thief and the girl who must beat the odds to save her parents’ lives.

Rosalyn Quest was raised by a legendary family of thieves with one rule: trust no one. Trapped in a glamorous world of riches and double-crosses, she is about to escape the family business when her parents are kidnapped. Her only chance to save them is to win the Thieves’ Gambit – a deadly competition for the world’s up-and-coming thieves, where the victor is granted one wish. To win, she must outwit all of her backstabbing competitors, including her archnemesis. But can she take victory from the handsome, charming boy who makes a play for her heart? The one who might be hiding the most dangerous secret of all?

The most highly-anticipated YA launch of the year from Kayvion Lewis and soon to be a major movie, are you ready to join the Thieves’ Gambit?

I think I’m a bit of a sucker for the I have to kill you but I’m in love with you trope.

Seven Faceless Saints by MK Lobb

In the city of Ombrazia, saints and their disciples rule with a terrifying power, playing favorites while the unfavored struggle to survive.

Rossana Lacertosa doesn’t believe in saints. After her father’s murder at the hands of the Ombrazia military, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to dismantle the corrupt system. Even if she has to pay for it in blood—or face the boy who broke her heart.

Damian Venturi is sworn to protect the city. As the youngest captain of the Palazzo security in history, Damian is expected to be ruthless, strong, and to serve the saints with unquestioning devotion. But three years spent fighting a gruesome, never-ending war left Damian with deeper scars than he wants to admit…and too many questions he’s afraid to ask.

When a murderer begins using the city’s slums as a hunting ground, targeting the weak and unprotected, the saints and their disciples are all too happy to look the other way. That is until a disciple ends up in the morgue. Tasked with finding the disciple’s killer, Damian’s investigation leads him to Roz, his childhood friend turned enemy. Together, they will have to put their past feelings aside to find the truth hiding in the pitch-black underbelly of Ombrazia.

As they unravel the mysteries behind the murders, they will discover that there’s something far more sinister—and far less holy—lurking beneath the surface. With darkness closing in and time running out, will Roz and Damian be able to save their city from an evil so powerful that it threatens to destroy everything in its path?

This sounds like a typical rebel-girl meets captain of the guard boy in a dystopian-style world but I’m still quite intrigued to read it.

Tonight, I Burn by Katharine J Adams

Thorns, Tides, Embers, Storms, and Ores. All five covens are bound in servitude to the tyrant High Warden of Halstett.

Penny Albright is a daughter of the thorn coven, forced to patrol the veil between the realms of Life and Death, keeping it safe and whole. Each night, one thorn witch—and only one—must cross the veil by burning at the stake. Each morning, that witch returns with the help of their magical lifeline. Failure to follow the rules of Death risks them all.

But one morning, Penny’s favorite sister Ella doesn’t return. And that night, determined to find her, Penny breaks the rules. She burns in secret.

What she finds in Death is a manor that shouldn’t exist, home to the devastating Lord Malin, who shouldn’t be there. Malin offers Penny a dangerous deal: Ella’s freedom in exchange for information about the High Warden.

But all isn’t as it seems in Life or Death. Penny’s bargain leads her to Alice, a mysterious captive prophet… and to a rebellion brewing in the shadows of their city. And as Penny’s world splits between her growing love for the ethereal Alice in Life and her attraction to the seductive Malin, in Death, she’ll face a devastating choice.

Because it’s not just her sister’s life that hangs in the balance. It’s the fate of all magic.

All it takes is one witch—and one spark—to set the world ablaze.

I also really like it when an author just creates this really terrible world and then expects the characters to fix things.

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes.

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success—not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won’t be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.

Did I buy this just because I finally saw a physical copy in a shop? Yes, yes I did. I’ve seen all the hype online, and I am also willing to wait for a rainy day to read this when I need some extra-cosy comfort.

Chasm (The Glacian Trilogy #2) by Stacy McEwan

No blurb for spoilers.

Did I buy this just because I have the first one and the cover is really pretty? Yes, yes I did.

Monthly Wrap Up

Book Stuff

Number of books read: 2
- When You Get The Chance by Emma Lord
- Iron Flame (The Empyrean #2) by Rebecca Yarros (review coming soon!)
Finished a series: No
Started a series: No
New to me authors: None
Favourite book: When You Get The Chance by Emma Lord