It’s time again to ask ourselves the three W’s:
What would you do if you were cursed?
Would you try to break it?
What if the curse wasn’t what you thought?
Wait, no, that’s not right. We ask these three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.
Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer
★★★☆☆ || Goodreads
I enjoyed this book for all its darky, witchy, murderous vibes. There was a lot going on in it, and I don’t think it was all entirely effective, but it did deliver on the Celtic gods and the witchiness. Three stars because it seems to be marketed as a standalone, but it reads very much like book one in a series, even ending on a cliffhanger that’s very obviously setting up for more books. There are plenty of plot points that are left unresolved at the end, and I don’t feel like this works as a standalone. If it comes out that it’s a series? I’d say four stars.
A Smuggler’s Path by I.L. Cruz
★★★★☆ || Goodreads
A female smuggler! How neat is that as a protagonist? One who’s good at what she does and enjoys it. I love that this book is full of strong female characters, but not to the detriment of the males, either. This is a world based on fairy tales, and it was fun finding the little Easter eggs hidden in it. Also, Spanish-inspired with a Latina protagonist! There was a lot going on, and it was a fun read.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
★★★★★ || Goodreads
READ THIS. There’s really nothing else left for me to say about it. Read the review, and then read this. I got a Slytherin romance this year, which my heart dearly needed, but I never thought I’d melt like this over a Hufflepuff romance. But for the lovely Hufflepuffs among us … here you go. This one’s for you. The M/M is slow burn and so sweet, and the characters will grab you by the heart right from the start and force you to love them. It just came out yesterday, and I’m already planning on buying at least one copy for myself (and possibly one to donate to my library, we’ll see).
A Noble’s Path by I.L. Cruz
★★★★☆ || Goodreads
The sequel to A Smuggler’s Path, and it ends on an obvious cliffhanger that has me looking forward to the third book. This one really focuses on the romance, but also a murder mystery and forbidden magic, so it ups the danger factor quite a bit from the first book. I did feel like there were bits here that were a little repetitive or rehashed, but that could also be from having read the first book and this one back-to-back, so I didn’t need the recap. Still loved all the fairy tale references in this one!
Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi
Status: pg 36/176
Rooted in foundational loss and the hope that can live in anger, Riot Baby is both a global dystopian narrative an intimate family story with quietly devastating things to say about love, fury, and the black American experience.
Ella and Kev are brother and sister, both gifted with extraordinary power. Their childhoods are defined and destroyed by structural racism and brutality. Their futures might alter the world. When Kev is incarcerated for the crime of being a young black man in America, Ella—through visits both mundane and supernatural—tries to show him the way to a revolution that could burn it all down.
This is my first Tochi Onyebuchi book, even though I’ve been meaning to read his work for a while now. And you know what? His writing is fabulous. I’m loving it. The story is a little jumpy in places, but I’m enjoying it so far, and it’s such a kick right in the emotions to see how these kids live and what’s going to end up happening to them.
Cursed: An Anthology of Dark Fairy Tales edited by Marie O’Regan & Paul Kane
Status: pg 49/357
Fairy tales take a weird twist in this anthology compiling stories from an all-star cast of fantasy writers, including stories from Neil Gaiman, Charlie Jane Anders and Alison Littlewood.
Here in this book you’ll find unique twists on the fairy tale conceit of the curse, from the more traditional to the modern – giving us brand new mythologies as well as new approaches to well-loved fables. Some might shock you, some might make you laugh, but they will all impress you with their originality.
I’m on the blog tour for this, and my spot is next Friday, so keep an eye out for that if you’re curious about more detail on this book. I’m only two stories in so far, but I’m really enjoying the twists on the fairy tales so far. The stories haven’t jumped out as amazing to me, but they were enjoyable to read, at least, and there are several stories coming up that I’m sure I’m going to love, so I’m looking forward to it. :3
I’m really looking forward to picking up The Last Human, because it looks hilarious, and I could use a little bit of that at this point. I’ve been reading a lot of darker books lately, so it’ll be nice to have something on the lighter side.
On my quest to read more graphic novels, I’ll also be picking up The Fox & The Little Tanuki Vol. 1, which looked too cute to pass up. Just look at that cover! Isn’t it gorgeous?
I’ve been warned about Night of the Dragon, and so I’ve been preparing my feels and guarding them and stocked up on things to cry into, so … I’m ready? I mean … yes, I’m ready. I think. I have doubts.
I’m also reading my first John Gywnne, after having his work recommended so often! I’m really looking forward to this. I read the opening on Amazon and knew I had to read this series. I’ll be picking up A Time of Dread, but it is a freaking TOME, though, and the least of all three books, so this will probably exist on my currently reading list for a while.
Riot Baby is jumpy, but it all makes sense at the end. I really enjoyed it, such an unusual story but grounded in historical events.
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…Cover Reveal + Excerpt: THE RAVEN LADY by Sharon Lynn Fisher
I just finished it tonight, and it did pull together at the end! I didn’t love it, but I did think it was a unique concept, and I look forward to reading his other work. His writing style’s lovely.
I’m curious about Riot Baby as well. I’ve not been able to read much the past two days as I had training which involved my normal 8 hours a day and three hours driving. It exhausts my mind! I am reading a MG book – A Home for Goddesses and Dogs. I’m really liking it. Next up with probably be a horror of some type (because apparently the world isn’t horrific enough) and the next Longmire mystery. Off to see what posts I missed while I was away 🙂
Barb @ Booker T’s Farm recently posted…Can’t Wait Wednesday (253)
Yikes! Training sure doesn’t sound like fun, especially not with that kind of commute. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve been craving a bit of horror myself. xD Guess it’s infectious haha. A Home for Goddesses and Dogs sounds super cute!
I’m curious about Riot Baby and The Last Human! I hope you will enjoy both. Happy reading! Here’s my WWW.
Yvo @ It’s All About Books recently posted…WWW Wednesdays #260 – March 18th
Riot Baby was okay. I liked it, but didn’t love it. I think it’s going to be a very niche read.
Got to get my hands on Riot Baby, too! I like the sound of it!
Here’s mine:
https://happymesshappiness.wordpress.com/2020/03/18/www-wednesday-18-mar-2020
It was a little hard to follow sometimes, but the author has such a lovely writing style! Gonna check out his other work. I hope you enjoy Riot Baby if you’re able to get your hands on it. 🙂
Just added The Last Human to be TBR, sounds like just the kind of distraction read we all need right now!
My WWW ~ https://complexchaos.blog/2020/03/18/www-wednesday-18th-march-2020/
It’s not as humor as I thought it would, as it turns out. It’s funny, but seems more … drama? Still a fun distraction, but not the laugh-inducing read I expected. Still worth the read, though, and I hope you get a chance to try it!
Same for Witches of Ash and Ruin. I felt like too many things were left unresolved at the end and thought surely there would be a sequel. I don’t read graphic novels – even though my sons have tons around the house – but that’s the category coming up for one of my book clubs. So I guess I’ll be reading graphic novels!
Teri Polen recently posted…The Disasters by M.K. England #bookreview #scifi #YA
I’m still crossing my fingers and hoping they’ll come out and announce it’s the first of a series. xD I would imagine that’s going to ultimately hurt the book otherwise.
Hey, it’s always a good time to try something new! I hope you find something you enjoy. I’ve really been trying to read more of them this year, because I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve read. I just haven’t read many of them. xD
Sammie, sounds like you’ve been doing some great, magical reading! I hope it continues for you this coming week. Stay safe and happy reading. 🙂
jessicabookworm recently posted…WWW Wednesday | 18th March 2020
Thank you! Seems like a lot of people are getting some good reading in. 😉
So many interesting reads! I’m really tempted to also pick up A Smuggler’s Path after reading your review. Will wait a little bit to see if it’s still calling to me in a while because I’ve been using not being able to go out and do anything as an excuse to do the book shoppingz online and maybe it’s an oops 🙊🙈 Haha
Riot Baby looks good too! I feel like I’ve heard of it before or maybe I’ve seen the cover somewhere. But I hope you continue enjoying it despite its jumpiness! Also the cover for The Fox and the Little Tanuki is ADORABLE. Is this an ARC?! Happy reading, Sammie 😀
Dini @ dinipandareads recently posted…The Mountains Sing Blog Tour: Book Review
Whaaat? Pffft. Book shopping online is *never* an oops. Obviously, it was meant to be.
Riot Baby was … okay. The author’s writing is gorgeous, but the story was just really hard to follow. The Fox and the Little Tanuki is totally an ARC! Got it off EW, because I couldn’t resist that cover!
LOL I think I like your three W’s better. 😉
I really want to read the new Klune book, so glad you loved that one!
Thank you! I hope you’re able to. It’s probably my favorite read this month. :3