Before we get started, I assume everyone is familiar with the speed dating concept, right?

Totally gonna admit I’ve never done it, because I met my husband when I was four … not that we knew it then, of course. Not like I was scoping him out and grooming him for marriage. No, I tormented him at that point for the lulz, not because it was my job, thank you very much.

Anyway, speed dating: you get a brief time to know high-level info about someone and decide if you want to give them your number, right? Bear with me. This makes sense, I promise. Mostly.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is books with colors in the title, but that seemed too easy, so I wanted to ramp up the stakes a little. Which brings us to back … speed dating!

The whole premise of this post is that I’m going to search for random colors on Goodreads and take a smattering of fantasy books that I haven’t read yet and based on the title, cover, and blurb, decide whether I want to give the book a try or kick it to the curb.

Are you ready to get started?! Wow. Huh. I’m gonna need more enthusiasm than that, guys. My whole bookish future is on the line here if I choose the wrong books.

ARE YOU READY TO GET STARTED?!

Let’s do this.

The Red Pyramid

Since his mother’s death six years ago, Carter Kane has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the globe with his father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane. But while Carter’s been homeschooled, his younger sister, Sadie, has been living with their grandparents in London. Sadie has just what Carter wants—school friends and a chance at a “normal” life. But Carter has just what Sadie longs for—time with their father. After six years of living apart, the siblings have almost nothing in common. Until now.

On Christmas Eve, Sadie and Carter are reunited when their father brings them to the British Museum, with a promise that he’s going to “make things right.” But all does not go according to plan: Carter and Sadie watch as Julius summons a mysterious figure, who quickly banishes their father and causes a fiery explosion.

Soon Carter and Sadie discover that the gods of Ancient Egypt are waking, and the worst of them—Set—has a frightening scheme. To save their father, they must embark on a dangerous journey—a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and its links to the House of Life, a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.

Verdict: CALL ME!

I’ve actually never read a Rick Riordan book, which I’m pretty sure makes me an anomaly? I do love me some pyramids, though, and the cover leads me to believe this’ll be a fun adventure. I also love books based on mythology, and the fact that it’s Egyptian mythology? Yeah, I need to give this one a go.

Yellow Brick War

Once upon a time, there was a girl from Kansas named Dorothy.

You might know her as the Girl Who Rode the Cyclone. She ended up in Oz, where she became friends with the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion. But the temptation of magic was too much for her. She let it change her. Her friends became twisted versions of their former selves.

The magical land of Oz is now a dark and menacing place.

My name is Amy Gumm. Tornadoes must have a thing about girls from Kansas, because I got swept away on one too. I also landed in Oz, where Good is Wicked, Wicked is Good, and the Wicked Witches clued me in to my true calling:

Assassin.

The only way to stop Dorothy from destroying Oz—and Kansas—is to kill her. And I’m the only one who can do it.

But I failed. Others died for my mistakes. Because of me, the portal between the worlds has been opened and Kansas and Oz are both in danger. And if I don’t find a way to close it?

Dorothy will make sure I never get to go home again.

Verdict: CALL ME!

I guess this is book three in a series, so I’d have to read the first two books first, but still. How can you read that synopsis and not be at least a little curious?! I confess that I actually hate The Wizard of Oz, and the only time I considered it might have something interesting about it is when I read Wicked, which I loved. I easily buy the idea of Oz being a dystopia, so I’m curious about a book that casts Dorothy as an antagonist.

The Green Ember

My place beside you, my blood for yours. Till the Green Ember rises, or the end of the world.

Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures. They discover that their own story is bound up in the tumult threatening to overwhelm the wider world.

Kings fall and kingdoms totter. Tyrants ascend and terrors threaten. Betrayal beckons, and loyalty is a broken road with peril around every bend.

Where will Heather and Picket land? How will they make their stand?

Verdict: NEXT!

This is definitely a me thing. That cover? SO FREAKING CUTE, I CAN’T EVEN. The problem is that animal protagonist books are so miss for me lately, so I’m hesitant to pick them up. Rabbits are unique, at least, but the cover and blurb makes me think so much of Redwall, which just wasn’t my thing. I would, however, (lovingly, of course) throw this book at younger readers with reckless abandon.

Serafina and the Black Cloak

“Never go into the deep parts of the forest, for there are many dangers there, and they will ensnare your soul.”

Serafina has never had a reason to disobey her pa and venture beyond the grounds of the Biltmore estate. There’s plenty to explore in her grand home, although she must take care to never be seen. None of the rich folk upstairs know that Serafina exists; she and her pa, the estate’s maintenance man, have secretly lived in the basement for as long as Serafina can remember.

But when children at the estate start disappearing, only Serafina knows who the culprit is: a terrifying man in a black cloak who stalks Biltmore’s corridors at night. Following her own harrowing escape, Serafina risks everything by joining forces with Braeden Vanderbilt, the young nephew of the Biltmore’s owners. Braeden and Serafina must uncover the Man in the Black Cloak’s true identity… before all of the children vanish one by one.

Serafina’s hunt leads her into the very forest that she has been taught to fear. There she discovers a forgotten legacy of magic, one that is bound to her own identity. In order to save the children of Biltmore, Serafina must seek the answers that will unlock the puzzle of her past.

Verdict: CALL ME!

That cover is sooo gorgeous. It’s dark and whimsical and charming, all wrapped into one. I’ll admit that the blurb didn’t quite grab me, but I do love magical forests, and I think the setting in general sounds absolutely charming.

Sapphire Blue

Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.

At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.

Verdict: CALL ME!

I confess: blue is my favorite color, specifically sapphire and cerulean, so this had me on two fronts. Based on the cover, it feels very historical romance (which I guess it partly is), so it had me thinking, next. However, the blurb made me curious. I keep saying I want to see more gargoyles in fantasy, and there’s a gargoyle. And he’s a demon. And he sounds delightful. I’m also very curious about the ghost and what other sort of magical creatures might be in this book.

Gray Wolf Island

Right before Sadie died, she begged her sister, Ruby, to do the one thing she could never do herself: Find the treasure on Gray Wolf Island.

With just a mysterious treasure map as a guide, Ruby reluctantly allows some friends to join her on the hunt, each of whom is touched by magic: a boy allegedly born to a virgin, a girl who never sleeps, a boy who can foresee his own death, and a boy with deep ties to the island. Each of them is also keeping a secret—something they’ll have to reveal in order to reach the treasure.

As the secrets come to light, Ruby will have to decide: Can she make peace with her friends’ troubled pasts and continue to trust them? Can she forgive herself for doing the unspeakable? Deep in the wilderness of Gray Wolf Island, Ruby’s choices will determine if they make it out with the treasure—or merely with their lives.

From debut author Tracey Neithercott comes a darkly compelling tale of profound friendship, adventure, and finding the strength to tell the truth.

Verdict: NEXT!

Honestly, this seems kind of like the lamest treasure hunt of all. The idea of the magic is interesting, but what’s mentioned is cliche and not particularly unique. I’m really over the whole “stranded on an island and have to survive” thing, and I’m getting those vibes here, even though I know it technically says they’re looking for treasure. It just doesn’t grab my attention.

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat

Introducing Miss Ottoline Brown, an exceptionally inquisitive Mistress of Disguise, and her partner in crime, Mr Munroe. No puzzle is ever too tricky for the two of them to solve . . .

Ottoline lives in a stylish apartment in Big City with a small hairy creature called Mr Munroe. Together they look after the Brown family’s eclectic collections – and dabble in a spot of detective work. So they are the first to the scene of the crime when a string of high society dog-nappings and jewel thefts hits Big City. Ottoline (who luckily has a diploma from the Who-R-U Academy of Disguise) and Mr Munroe go undercover – and expose an ingenious scam masterminded by furry feline crook, the Yellow Cat.

Verdict: CALL ME!

I was really on the fence for this one. It sounds a little too young and silly for me (because I’m an old fuddy-duddy). I find it so hard to resist smart girls cracking puzzles and solving crimes, though. Plus with a furry sidekick? And of course the villain would be a cat. They’re evil. Just take a moment and look in their eyes. You’ll find an endless void peering back at you. It’s horrifying. But they’re so cute that you don’t notice and do their bidding anyway. So anyway, yes, I would give this one a shot.

Red Sister

I was born for killing – the gods made me to ruin.

At the Convent of Sweet Mercy young girls are raised to be killers. In a few the old bloods show, gifting talents rarely seen since the tribes beached their ships on Abeth. Sweet Mercy hones its novices’ skills to deadly effect: it takes ten years to educate a Red Sister in the ways of blade and fist.

But even the mistresses of sword and shadow don’t truly understand what they have purchased when Nona Grey is brought to their halls as a bloodstained child of eight, falsely accused of murder: guilty of worse.

Stolen from the shadow of the noose, Nona is sought by powerful enemies, and for good reason. Despite the security and isolation of the convent her secret and violent past will find her out. Beneath a dying sun that shines upon a crumbling empire, Nona Grey must come to terms with her demons and learn to become a deadly assassin if she is to survive…

Verdict: CALL ME!

You had me at assassins. Yes, I am that predictable. Actually, technically, this had me at a school where girls learn to be killers. Why wasn’t I invited to this school?! I am offended, I’ll have you know. I feel like most of the blurb is kind of vague, but I’m curious about what Nona did that’s worse than murder. So yup, this one goes on the TBR.

White Witch, Black Curse

Some wounds take time to heal…and some scars never fade.

Rachel Morgan, kick-ass witch and bounty hunter, has taken her fair share of hits, and has broken lines she swore she would never cross. But when her lover was murdered, it left a deeper wound than Rachel ever imagined, and now she won’t rest until his death is solved…and avenged. Whatever the cost.

Yet the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and when a new predator moves to the apex of the Inderland food chain, Rachel’s past comes back to haunt her.

Literally.

Verdict: NEXT!

Maybe it’s because this is book seven, but I feel like this blurb tells me absolutely nothing about the book. The cover is actually very green, but it also tells me nothing … except sexy lady with a gun? Which surprisingly is not enough, no. All in all, this book feels very cliche and a bit like so many other books in its genre, without giving me a reason to give it a chance.

Blue Remembered Earth

BLUE REMEMBERED EARTH is the first volume in a monumental trilogy tracing the Akinya family across more than ten thousand years of future history…out beyond the solar system, into interstellar space and the dawn of galactic society.

One hundred and fifty years from now, in a world where Africa is the dominant technological and economic power, and where crime, war, disease and poverty have been banished to history, Geoffrey Akinya wants only one thing: to be left in peace, so that he can continue his studies into the elephants of the Amboseli basin. But Geoffrey’s family, the vast Akinya business empire, has other plans. After the death of Eunice, Geoffrey’s grandmother, erstwhile space explorer and entrepreneur, something awkward has come to light on the Moon, and Geoffrey is tasked – well, blackmailed, really – to go up there and make sure the family’s name stays suitably unblemished. But little does Geoffrey realise – or anyone else in the family, for that matter – what he’s about to unravel.

Eunice’s ashes have already have been scattered in sight of Kilimanjaro. But the secrets she died with are about to come back out into the open, and they could change everything.

Or shatter this near-utopia into shards…

Verdict: CALL ME!

Spacey and futuristic science fiction tends to be a little bit of a miss for me in general, but this one seems to have some things going for it. First, it’s set in Africa! Color me interested. There’s also mention of blackmail, which is always fun. Mostly, I love me some family secrets, and it’s always just *chef’s kiss* when utopias finally crumble. Wait … does that say something negative about me? Hmmmm …

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