It’s time again to ask ourselves the three W’s:
What if your best friend was killed and you accidentally brought them back to life?
Would you see this new power as a gift?
Would you master your powers to fulfill your destiny?

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.

It’s been a few weeks since I did one of these, and I missed you all! I actually hit a rather nasty reading slump and haven’t read much of anything until recently. It’s so good to be back! There’s going to be a lot of books here, because I haven’t done this in … three weeks?

               

The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune
★★★★★ || Goodreads
This comes out next month, so I won’t be posting the review until closer to release date, but … phew. Needless to say, Klune delivers again. After loving House in the Cerulean Sea, I knew I had to read everything this man wrote, so I immediately jumped on this one, and I wasn’t disappointed. The tone is definitely different (this is a YA about superheroes), but oh gosh, I just loved these characters so much. The main character, Nick, is a cinnamon roll who’s slightly oblivious to what’s going on around him and very ADHD, and he’s basically me as a teenager.

Hope Island by Tim Major
★★★☆☆ || Goodreads
The ending of this book was a bit out there for me, so I wasn’t completely satisfied with the way it ended, which was a little frustrating. I also hated pretty much all the characters, to the point where I hoped most of them would die … except for the ones that actually did, I guess, which is disappointing. Anyway, I thought the author did a great job at building tension and suspense, though. It felt a lot like the old-school, black and white sci-fi movies, and I’d definitely recommend it for anyone who’s into those.

The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala
★★★★☆ || Goodreads
I’m not gonna lie, I’ve totally been loving all these books lately based on Indian culture and myths. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of it. This was no exception. The world was lovely and easy to fall into. The romance? Enemies to lovers in the best sort of way … with lots of sharp, pointy objects, threats of death/violence, and sexy one-upmanship.

The Archer at Dawn by Swati Teerdhala
★★★★★ || Goodreads
This was somehow even better than the first book? 2020 has been killing it for sequels. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve been loving the second books I’ve been reading this year. Not to jinx it or anything. The found family in this book is just … *chef’s kiss* There’s also a really heavy heist plot, with a lot of complex moving parts, and so much betrayal and secrets that I don’t even know where to begin except to say that you absolutely should just read it.

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
★★★★☆ || Goodreads
First, I’m going to say that despite being fantasy, I’d recommend this more for contemporary readers who like a little mix of the supernatural in their books. The tropes and the way it’s written is very much contemporary, so if you’re going in expecting more fantasy, it’s probably not going to live up to your expectations. That being said, the book addresses a lot of really important topics, and I think removing it from the real world and making the struggles in terms of fantasy creatures makes it easier to just see the issues at hand. The world is super fun, with a whole mix of supernatural creatures, including gargoyles! I did wish some of the creatures were better explained, but for the most part, I loved the inclusion of so many different things.

           

Venators: Promises Unleashed by Devri Walls
★★★★★ || Goodreads
Another sequel that just blew me away! Again, I enjoyed the first book, but this one was just … phew. Action from the very start, from one thing to the next. I read it really quickly because I just couldn’t put it down and had to know what was going to happen. I’m still in love with Beltran, so stand down, ladies and gentleman. I will fight you for him! In this book, though, we really got to learn more about the histories of some of the characters, which I loved getting to know them better, and we got a deeper look at the world, including more of the lore about it and how things work, which was … terrifying? But also really neat.

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
★★★★☆|| Goodreads
I finally read this! I’ve only been meaning to for a while now. Emily Tesh has a lovely writing style that’s very atmospheric and easy to read. I loved the wood and Tobias, and Silver himself is just so suave and charming that how could you not fall in love with him? The flirtation and romance was just adorable. The plot was interesting, but I felt like it was missing something. It wasn’t entirely cohesive, and the plot felt jumpy and incomplete, like disconnected vignettes that didn’t fit together quite right. I often have this complaint of novellas, though, that they leave me just wanting more, and that was definitely the case here. Tesh is a fabulous writer, no doubt about that, and the Wood was so well created, but I just wanted more to the plot.

Drowned Country by Emily Tesh
★★★★★|| Goodreads
So, the complaints that I just wrote about Silver in the Wood? Didn’t really exist in this one. The plot still felt a bit disjointed or wonky in places, but the whole idea of this novella was the fuzziness of time and how it could be manipulated, so I thought it actually kind of worked here, plus added a little suspense. This book is also told from Silver’s point of view, and I absolutely loved that choice, because Silver is … well, a child. He’s sulking, okay? At least in the beginning. There’s an arc his character really needs, and he gets it in this novella, and the journey was just absolutely brilliant.

Crossing in Time by D.L. Orton
DNF @ 40%|| Goodreads
This one wasn’t a bad DNF, for a change! I actually hit on of my triggers (miscarriage) and decided that, for my mental well-being, I just couldn’t finish the book. It was a fun book, though, and I did a post about who might enjoy it (assuming that’s not one of your triggers). I think what I enjoyed most about the part I read was the witty (and sometimes corny, but in a good way) romantic banter (even if I did feel like the romance was way rushed). There’s also a brilliant (and sarcastic) scientist who I fell in love with immediately. The plot, in the beginning, was definitely a little jumpy and the timeline kind of wonky, but reviews I’ve read said that smooths out mid-book, but I didn’t get to that part, unfortunately.

This week’s reviews

Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee
Status: 10%

Danger lurks within the roots of Forest of Souls, an epic, unrelenting tale of destiny and sisterhood, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Susan Dennard.

Sirscha Ashwyn comes from nothing, but she’s intent on becoming something. After years of training to become the queen’s next royal spy, her plans are derailed when shamans attack and kill her best friend Saengo.

And then Sirscha, somehow, restores Saengo to life.

Unveiled as the first soulguide in living memory, Sirscha is summoned to the domain of the Spider King. For centuries, he has used his influence over the Dead Wood—an ancient forest possessed by souls—to enforce peace between the kingdoms. Now, with the trees growing wild and untamed, only a soulguide can restrain them. As war looms, Sirscha must master her newly awakened abilities before the trees shatter the brittle peace, or worse, claim Saengo, the friend she would die for.

I’ve really only just started this (and my blog post on this tour will be next Wednesday, so hey, there’s something to look forward to), but oh my gosh, I’m already in love with it. Just everything. The characters? Brilliant. The banter back and forth is serious when it needs to be, but in a familiar way that makes me giggle (and Kendara is obviously going to be a favorite of mine, I can tell you that).

This world, though? Oh gosh, the way the author describes the world is just … can I move there? Maybe for a few weeks? It’s so beautiful and breath-taking and … there’s trolls! Well, there was. Maybe not so much anymore. But even just in the first 10%, I have such a good sense of the world that I can’t wait to explore it further.

           

So, I’m sure it comes as absolutely no surprise to anyone, but boy am I behind on ARC reads! Ha. Like, hopelessly behind. Working overtime plus the reading slump really just destroyed my progress.

My next blog tour read will be This Eternity of Masks and Shadows. It’s got gods cavorting among humans and apparently committing murder, like you do? There’s a mention of Nanook, a polar bear god, as a detective helping the main character, and this book just sounded too good to pass up.

I’m also totally overdue on my review for The Obsidian Tower, so I should probably get on that. Magical artifacts and deadly magic sounds like a pretty good time to me, if I’m honest. The blurb also sounds like there’s some found family going on, and I’m totally on board for that.

I’ve been so looking forward to A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians since I read H.G. Parry’s debut last year and realized she had another book coming out. First, Age of Enlightenment? Awesome time period. Add magic into the pot? Sounds like good times all around. Yes, please.