Blog Tour + Review: Taming Demons for Beginners

Taming Demons for Beginners (The Guild Codex: Demonized #1)
by Annette Marie
My rating: 4 hearts
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.
Publication date: September 11, 2019
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Rule one: Don't look at the demon.

When I arrived at my uncle's house, I expected my relatives to be like me—outcast sorcerers who don't practice magic. I was right about the sorcery, but wrong about everything else.

Rule two: Don't listen to the demon.

My uncle chose a far deadlier power. He calls creatures of darkness into our world, binds them into service contracts, and sells them to the highest bidder. And I'm supposed to act like I don't know how illegal and dangerous it is.

Rule three: Don't talk to the demon.

All I had to do was keep my nose out of it. Pretend I didn't find the summoning circle in the basement. Pretend I didn't notice the shadowy being trapped inside it. Pretend I didn't break the rules.

But I did, and now it's too late.

Add to Goodreads!

The Faery's Guide to Surviving the Mythic World

Hi guys! And welcome to my new feature on the blog! I recently started The Guild Codex: Spellbound, an Urban Fantasy series by Annette Marie, and really enjoyed it. In the series, the reader is introduced to the world of mythics, people able to use magic of different kinds. But how do you survive in the world of mythics? Keep reading to find out! Or you can check out my review of the first book here. 

A Fun, Original Fantasy - Three Mages and a Margarita Review

Title: Three Mages and a Margarita

Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound #1

Author: Annette Marie

My rating: 3.5 hearts

Genre: New Adult, Urban Fantasy

Pub. date: September 14, 2018

Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.

Synopsis: Broke, almost homeless, and recently fired. Those are my official reasons for answering a wanted ad for a skeevy-looking bartender gig.

It went downhill the moment they asked me to do a trial shift instead of an interview—to see if I'd mesh with their "special" clientele. I think that part went great. Their customers were complete dickheads, and I was an asshole right back. That's the definition of fitting in, right?

I expected to get thrown out on my ass. Instead, they… offered me the job?

It turns out this place isn't a bar. It's a guild. And the three cocky guys I drenched with a margarita during my trial? Yeah, they were mages. Either I'm exactly the kind of takes-no-shit bartender this guild needs, or there's a good reason no one else wants to work here.

So what's a broke girl to do? Take the job, of course—with a pay raise. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Book Blitz: Two Witches and a Whiskey by Annette Marie

Hey guys! I'm so excited to share the Book Blitz for Two Witches and a Whiskey by Annette Marie with you all today! This is such a fun and lighthearted read, filled with awesome fantasy. Keep reading for more info on the book, an excerpt and a giveaway!

Title: Two Witches and a Whiskey
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound #3
Author: Annette Marie
Genre: New Adult, Urban Fantasy
Pub. date: February 8, 2019
Synopsis: Three months ago, I landed a job as a bartender. But not at a bar—at a guild. Yeah, the magic kind.

I'm not a badass mage like my three smokin' hot best friends. I'm not a sorcerer or an alchemist, or even a wussy witch. I'm just a human, slinging drinks like a pro and keeping my non-magical nose out of mythic business. Seriously, I know my limits.

So why am I currently standing in a black-magic ritual circle across from a fae lord?

Somewhere behind me, my three mage friends are battling for their lives. Somewhere near my feet is the rogue witch I just knocked out with a stolen spell. And I have about five seconds to convince this very angry sea god not to shmoosh me like a bug.

I'm pretty sure this wasn't part of the job description.

Add to Goodreads!

Buy the book!

The Faery's Guide to Reading a New Genre

Most booklovers (especially me) have their one favorite genre that they love. Sure, they might try different genres, but there will always be that one genre you love more than any other. For me, that's YA Fantasy. However, I've recently started trying new genres, and I've found several new genres to love. For those of you unsure of where to start with a new genre, here's the Faery's Guide to Reading a New Genre.

Magical and fun - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay

Title: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay

Author: J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 hearts

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Pub. date: November 18th 2016

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Synopsis: J.K. Rowling's screenwriting debut is captured in this exciting hardcover edition of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them screenplay.

When Magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York, he intends his stay to be just a brief stopover. However, when his magical case is misplaced and some of Newt's fantastic beasts escape, it spells trouble for everyone…

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, author of the beloved and internationally bestselling Harry Potter books. Featuring a cast of remarkable characters, this is epic, adventure-packed storytelling at its very best.

Whether an existing fan or new to the wizarding world, this is a perfect addition to any reader's bookshelf. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Top 3: Fantasy Books Featuring Faeries

I will list my five favourite YA books/series featuring faeries. I love reading about faeries, because they're so... well, evil, mostly. Faeries are one of my favourite fantasy elements, and there are just so many great books about them. Here are my favourites. I'll add links to Goodreads below every book, as well as links to my review of it (if I wrote one).

Top 10: My most recent 5-star ratings

Here I will list the ten most recent books that I gave 5 stars, the most recent one being number one, and so on. With links to my review (if I have written one).

Thursday Quotables: Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies

 

Welcome back to Thursday Quotables! This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week.  Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines of the week will be, and you’re invited to join in!

Review: Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Title: Lady Midnight
Author: Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 emotional, badass, swoony hearts
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Pub. date: March 8th 2016
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Synopsis: The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first novel in Cassandra Clare’s newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Lady Midnight is a Shadowhunters novel.

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?

Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Review: The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus #1) by Rick Riordan

Title: The Lost Hero
Author: Rick Riordan
My rating: 4.5 mythological, please-give-me-more-Percy hearts
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology
Pub. date: October 12th 2010
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Books
Synopsis: Jason has a problem.
He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper, and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?

Piper has a secret.
Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare about his being in trouble. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits during the school trip, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.

Leo has a way with tools.
When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about, and some camper who;s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god. Does this have anything to do with Jason's amnesia, or the fact that Leo keeps seeing ghosts? (synopsis from Goodreads)

Top 10 - Book Couples

Here are my ten favourite book couples ever (so far).

Review: Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy #1) by Kiersten White

Title: Paranormalcy
Author: Kiersten White
My rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Romance
Publication date: August 31st 2010
Publisher: HarperTeen
Synopsis: Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.

But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Waiting on Wednesday: Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices) by Cassandra Clare

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

 

I'm back! Sorry for the long leave, but now I'm back again.

 

Today, I picked Lady Midnight, the first book in the new series by Cassandra Clare. Now, I know a lot of people are upset because she's writing another series set in the same world, but I'm really looking forward to it. I'm really looking forward to reading about Emma and Julian. I liked them in City of Heavenly Fire, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.

Keen Cover Friday: Nevermore series by Kelly Creagh

Hosted by Keep Booked

 

I haven't done KCF in ages, but now I'm back! Today, I've picked the Nevermore series by Kelly Creagh. Yeah, I know, it's usually just one book, but I love all three covers so much and I just couldn't pick one, so I thought, why not all of them?

Keen Cover Friday: Hex Hall (Hex Hall #1) by Rachel Hawkins

Hosted by Keep Booked

 

Hex Hall

by Rachel Hawkins

 

My pick for Keen Cover Friday this week is Hex Hall, because I really like the idea with the reflection. Really, I was unsure of which one I loved the most, since all the covers in this series is really awesome, but I loved that blue color (blue is my favorite color, by the way), so I picked this one. Except that it is very cool, I also like the metaphor; she used to be just a normal girl, and then it turns out she isn't. I Think the cover can actually say something about the plot (not too much, but it definitely tells us something). Most of the time, when I find a cover I love, I just can't understand what it has to do with the plot, but now I do.

Summary: Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father—an elusive European warlock—only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.
By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tag-along ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.
As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her. (summary from Goodreads)

Review: The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines #6) by Richelle Mead



Title: The Ruby Circle

Author: Richelle Mead
My rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Release date: February 10th, 2015
Publisher: Razorbill
Summary: Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives.Their forbidden romance exposed, Sydney and Adrian find themselves facing the wrath of both the Alchemists and the Moroi in this electrifying conclusion to Richelle Mead’s bestselling Bloodlines series.

When the life of someone they both love is put on the line, Sydney risks everything to hunt down a deadly former nemesis. Meanwhile, she and Adrian becomes enmeshed in a puzzle that could hold the key to a shocking secret about spirit magic, a secret that could shake the entire Moroi world and alter their lives forever.

Don't miss their unforgettable final chapter... (summary from Goodreads)