#SixforSunday is… it’s really just that. You choose 6 books (normally) that you’d choose to fit whatever the prompt is that week. This meme is hosted byA Little but a Lotand you can follow the link to find the prompts for October to December.
This week’s topic:
Favourite Black Characters
Here are some of my favorite black characters:
The Mixtape by. Brittainy Cherry – Emery is super nice and sweet but she’s been through a lot. I admired her strength even when things were a struggling and it felt like she wasn’t going to figure things out. She has a heart of gold.
Kate in Waiting by. Becky Albertalli – I love Andy, who is Kate’s best friend. He’s bold and funny and I loved his friendship with Kate even when they were having challenges.
You Should See Me in a Crown bby. Leah Johnson – Liz is an awesome character. She’s smart and queer and running for prom court so she can get a money to go to college. Her story is empowering!
Within These Wicked Walls by. Lauren Blackwood – Andromeda is an exorcist, I mean…how crazy and cool is that? She’s is fearless in this book even when things get crazy eerie and downright freaky. I love her strength.
Wings of Ebony by. J. Elle – Rue is raw, brave and unapologetic and she does whatever she can to protect her sister. I love her fierceness.
Color Me In by. Natasha Diaz – Nevaeh Levitz is half Black and half Jewish, but she’s white passing. So we get her perspective of being white passing in a black neighborhood like Harlem and how she straddles both of her cultures in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement. Her story of struggle with her identity is relatable and real.
Here is the schedule for October and go to A Little but a lot for more info!
October – Celebrating diverse voices (Black History Month UK)
3 – favourite books by Black authors 10 – favourite Black characters 17 – stories which celebrate Black voices 24 – books by Black authors I want to read 31 – Recommended reads by Black authors
I hope your October is going well! To get into spooky season even more, here’s a good topic for today! Have you started decorating for Halloween yet?
This prompt is hosted by Mandy at Devouring Books so check out her blog for more fabulous bookish content.
Rules!
Share your top 5 books of the current topic– these can be books that you want to read, have read and loved, have read and hated, you can do it any way you want.
Tag the original post (This one!)
Tag 5 people
The topic today is:
Bones on the Cover
Capture his heart. Steal his crown.
Noor is the unwanted, unloved third born of the Aten, chosen vessel of the sun goddess, Sol. While she has no chance at inheriting her father’s title, what she truly longs for is peace from his unrelenting hatred. Hope builds that she may finally be able to claim that reprieve when a missive arrives from the House of the Moon.
The new Lumin, chosen of the moon god, Lumos, seeks to broker peace with the Kingdom of Helios for the first time in ages. He envisions open trade routes and an end to archaic rivalries. His dedication to this cause extends to visions of a union between the two families by marrying one of Aten’s daughters, if one of the matches is a fit.
Driven by his own twisted agenda, Noor’s father is willing to sacrifice his daughters as pawns to steal the crown for him to further his despotic reign, pitting sister against sister in a brutal battle for power. But Noor must come out the victor, either by capturing the Lumin’s heart or stealing his crown. For whomever wears the crown of moonlight, holds the power of the moon itself. With such strength at her command, she could finally defeat her tyrannical father.
Yet this endeavor cannot be accomplished without great sacrifice. As Noor learns more about Lumin Caelum, guilt over her betrayal consumes her, burning hot as the sun itself. If only he wasn’t kind, and selfless, and exactly what she wanted. If only she had greater dominion over her heart…
Can Noor carry out her plan and end her father’s vile reign? Or will unlikely alliances allow a new day to dawn?
By night, the Ankou is a legendary, permanently young mercenary. By day, a witch’s curse leaves him no more than bones. Caught in an unending cycle of death and resurrection, the Ankou wants only to find the death that has been prophesied for him, especially once he begins to rot while he’s still alive….
After the kingdom of Kaer-Ise is sacked, Flora, loyal handmaiden to the princess, is assaulted and left for dead. As the sole survivor of the massacre, Flora wants desperately to find the princess she served. When the Ankou agrees to help her find the princess, and to train her in exchange for her help in breaking his curse, she accepts. But how can she kill an immortal? Especially one whom she is slowly growing to understand—and maybe even to love?
Together, they will solve mysteries, battle monsters, break curses, and race not only against time, but against fate itself.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author of Stalking Jack the Ripper Kerri Maniscalco comes the sizzling, sweepingly romantic sequel to Kingdom of the Wicked!
One sister. Two sinful princes. Infinite deception with a side of revenge…Welcome to Hell.
After selling her soul to become Queen of the Wicked, Emilia travels to the Seven Circles with the enigmatic Prince of Wrath, where she’s introduced to a seductive world of vice.
She vows to do whatever it takes to avenge her beloved sister, Vittoria…even if that means accepting the hand of the Prince of Pride, the king of demons.
The first rule in the court of the Wicked? Trust no one. With back-stabbing princes, luxurious palaces, mysterious party invitations, and conflicting clues about who really killed her twin, Emilia finds herself more alone than ever before. Can she even trust Wrath, her one-time ally in the mortal world…or is he keeping dangerous secrets about his true nature?
Emilia will be tested in every way as she seeks a series of magical objects that will unlock the clues of her past and the answers she craves…
Seventeen-year-old Aderyn (“Ryn”) only cares about two things: her family, and her family’s graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don’t always stay dead.
The risen corpses are known as “bone houses,” and legend says that they’re the result of a decades-old curse. When Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with a mysterious past, arrives in town, the bone houses attack with new ferocity. What is it that draws them near? And more importantly, how can they be stopped for good?
Together, Ellis and Ryn embark on a journey that will take them deep into the heart of the mountains, where they will have to face both the curse and the long-hidden truths about themselves.
Following the events of The Beautiful, Sébastien Saint Germain is now cursed and forever changed. The treaty between the Fallen and the Brotherhood has been broken, and war between the immortals seems imminent. The price of loving Celine was costly. But Celine has also paid a high price for loving Bastien.
Still recovering from injuries sustained during a night she can’t quite remember, her dreams are troubled. And she doesn’t know she has inadvertently set into motion a chain of events that could lead to her demise and unveil a truth about herself she’s not quite ready to learn.
Forces hiding in the shadows have been patiently waiting for this moment for centuries. And just as Bastien and Celine begin to uncover the danger around them, they learn their love could tear them apart.
I’m not going to tag anyone but definitely feel free to join in on Top 5 Saturday if you want! Here is the schedule for October:
October 2nd, 2021 — Magical Books
October 9th, 2021 — Bones on the Cover
October 16th, 2021 — Books Set in the Forest
October 23rd, 2021 — Blood on the Cover
October 30th, 2021 — Dark Reads
And if you need more info please check out the host of this prompt at Devouring Books!
Categories: Fantasy, Japanese Mythology, Young Adult, Romance
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Inkyard Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Julie Kagawa meets Scythe in this captivating and evocative journey into Death’s domain as one soul collector seeks her place in the underworld of 1890s Japan. Book 1 of a planned duology.
Death is her destiny.
Half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami, Ren Scarborough yearns for the acceptance she has never found among the Reapers who raised her. When the Shinigami powers she can no longer hide force her to flee for her life, Ren and her younger brother—the only being on earth to care for her—travel to Japan and the dark underworld of Yomi, where Ren hopes to claim her place among the Shinigami and finally belong.
But the Goddess of Death is no more welcoming than the Reapers who raised her, and Ren finds herself set on an impossible task—find and kill three yokai demons, and maybe, just maybe, she can earn a place in Death’s service. With only her brother and an untrustworthy new ally by her side, Ren will learn how far she’ll go to win the acceptance she craves, and whether the cost of belonging is worth any sacrifice.
The Keeper of Night is a fascinating take on Reapers and Japanese Mythology. Ren is half Japanese/half British, half Reaper/half Shinigami and all she wants is to belong somewhere and not be half of anything. When something happens in London, she is banished from the Reapers and basically makes her way all the way to Japan to try and be a Shinigami, something similar to Reapers. In tow is her half-brother Neven, who barely knows Japanese. Ren can get by on what’s she’s learned on her own but Japan is nothing like London. In order to become a Shinigami she has to complete a few quests, taking out powerful Yokai (spirits/demons). If Ren accomplishes her tasks then she will become a Shinigami and say goodbye to her Reaper past.
It’s been awhile since I read a book with Japanese Mythology and this one is cool because it involves Yokai! Okay yes, I did learn what yokai was from that tv show my son used to watch, Yokai Watch. Yokai in this book are scary!. But Ren isn’t one to be frightened of them (much) she was once a Reaper. I thought the Reapers were pretty cool, with their clocks to pause time, it definitely came in handy when Ren was killing Yokai.
Ren is going through a struggle – she’s done with the Reapers, who do not want her anyway. She wants to embrace her Japanese side and become a Shinigami but it’s not so easy. She’s a morally gray character, doing whatever it takes to achieve her goals but at what cost? Neven who made the choice to stay with her is getting hurt physically and emotionally in the process. But she sees it to the end even when the unexpected happens.
I thought the secondary characters did their job in keeping Ren conflicted. Neven is the sweetest brother but he loved being a Reaper – it’s his identity. It’s only half of Ren’s identity though and she is struggling with all of it. Neven is her moral compass. As for Hiro, he comes off like a good guy but with that suspicious dark gleam in his black eyes. He helps Ren by giving her intel about the Yokai and feelings grow between them but there is more to him that meets the eye.
This story is dark with death a constant theme and the Yokai are scary and creepy spirits/demons. I love that the story is action packed when it comes to taking down the Yokai.
Triggers: gory scenes, violence, death, hurting a Yokai in the form of a child
The story starts off to a quick start then there is a little lull when Ren reaches Japan, which is to be expected as she gets her bearings in a country so totally different than England. Luckily they meet Hiro who helps them navigate this Underworld in Japan and help explain the Yokai to Ren and Neven.
Why you should read it:
unique world building of Reapers, Shinigami and the Japanese Underworld
morally gray main character
lots of action when Ren is fighting the Yokai
Why you might not want to read it:
some gory scenes
cliffhanger
dark story
My Thoughts:
I actually enjoyed this dark story. It took me a few days to read, but I had fun with the Yokai and horror scenes (and I can’t even watch horror movies) – what is it with Japanese horror and girls with long hair covering their faces? Just the imagery alone freaks me out but the story was intriguing too. A half Japanese girl trying to find where she belongs and doing anything she can to achieve her goals made me interested in how far she would go or if she would ever pull back. The twist in the end makes me want to read the next book.
📚 ~ Yolanda
About the Author:
Kylie Lee Baker grew up in Boston and has since lived in Atlanta, Salamanca, and Seoul. Her writing is informed by her heritage (Japanese, Chinese, and Irish), as well as her experiences living abroad as both a student and teacher. She has a B.A. in Creative Writing and Spanish from Emory University and is currently pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science degree at Simmons University. In her free time, she watches horror movies, plays the cello, and bakes too many cookies. The Keeper of Night is her debut novel.
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to AVON for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
ONE CANCELLED WEDDING
When the day finally comes for Annie to marry Alexander, the last thing she expects is to be left standing at the altar. She was so sure he was Mr Right. Now, she has no idea how she could have got it so wrong.
ONE UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER
After a chance meeting with Patrick, an old friend who reminds her of who she used to be, Annie takes a vow of her own: she’ll say yes to every opportunity that comes her way from now on.
ONE SPARE TICKET FOR THE HONEYMOON
Could a spontaneous trip with Patrick be the way to mend Annie’s heart? She’s about to find out as she embarks on her honeymoon – with a man who’s nother husband…
This romance story was pretty cut and dry – bride gets left at the altar, she meets an old friend from camp, and takes him on the honeymoon. They fall for one another but will her ex pull her back into their old relationship?
Annie seems like the girl who never made a fuss, not even in her relationship with her fiance who decides to leave her at the altar. She hooks up again with an old acquaintance, Patrick and they have a really good time being friends. She decides to bring him on the honeymoon she is supposed to have with Alexander and that’s when things get physical. Annie and Patrick are alike – they are easy going people, both have a connection through theater camp and they have both had a bad event happen to them. Patrick is much more of a free spirit than Annie, who basically likes a life with plans – but personality wise, they mesh well together. They become really good friends and then lovers. I like how light their relationship was, they were always joking and having a good time.
There is a happily ever after between them after Annie has to evaluate some things about herself and Alexander. She learns to make some big decisions on her own and that was nice to see.
This one is a light-hearted read and quick to get through. Felt a bit boring and predictable at times, maybe because I like tension between my lovers but if you like friends to lovers, this is perfect for you.
I didn’t quite connect to the characters so I wasn’t very invested in the outcome – I kind of knew they’d end up together anyway.
Why you should read it:
light hearted romance
Annie and Patrick are fun and funny together
Annie gets her happily ever after
Why you might not want to read it:
predictable
wasn’t really invested in the characters
My Thoughts:
It was nice to see Annie get her happy ending after being jilted at the altar. She gets to let go and have with Patrick, and on a vacation her ex’s parents paid for which is a good deal to me! If you want to read something light hearted, you will enjoy this one.
The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
I have to work on finishing up arcs again but the list isn’t super long, thank goodness! I have so many other books I want to read. What’s on your reading list this week?
Everything I thought I knew was a lie. The evil vampire spawn I’d hunted my entire life have turned out to be my only allies. Hidden away in Magic City, I’ve promised to help support Luka as he competes to become King.
The problem? I’m falling for him and he’s engaged to be married.
To get my mind off of my boy problem, Liv and I band together with our allies to dig deeper into the betrayal of every hunter. What I find shocks me to my core.
With Luka’s fiancé breathing down my neck, and hidden truths bubbling to the surface daily, it will take every skill I have to stay alive.
Book two of the Vampire Hunter Society series is another fast paced ride. The story takes off from where it ended in The Dark Bite. Luka is engaged to Cassara, which seriously sucks and Aspen has to deal with it. Luka is trying to become king so he has to fight his way to the top. As for Aspen, she has to keep feeding him (or he dies) but he’s engaged to someone else and it hurts her. So Aspen tries to concentrate on freeing the women at the breeding farm instead, and hoping she can find out more about her mom.
I like the girl gang that’s coming together, Aspen and Liv – the hunters, and Demi and Sage – the shifters. Aspen needs the support since her heart is breaking over Luka. Also happy that Aspen is reunited with her mom and sister, she needs all the support she can get.
I hated Luka’s circumstances and honestly could have done without the surprise engagement – but I did like how with a lot of things on his plate he tries to balance things out and know what people need from him. He’s a crazy fighter in the ring, but he’s a softie when it comes to Aspen, which is really sweet.
The story moves forward with Luka trying to be king, and the rescue plan to free the women at the breeding farm. We even get to see a fight with Maz and learn about her story and the reason for the breeding farms. Looks like book three will be interesting with the hunters coming to Magic City.
Content Warnings: violence, human trafficking
Why? Why did Luka have to be engaged? I couldn’t get over it and hated that Aspen was pretty much the “other woman”. 😒 It was a big no for me. There was lots of angst and drama. But conveniently, it is resolved in the end. I was almost hoping Sterling would come back from the dead to make things even for Luka haha, I’m so petty.
I felt like Luka’s battle to be king was rushed. He would do his fighting while Aspen was trying to investigate the breeding farm but we don’t really get to watch him fight except for the last two important matches.
Cliffhanger ending again but yikes, what an ending. This book was about coming for Aspen – broken hearted for days.
Why you should read it:
it’s a quick read with lots of action
angsty paranormal romance
a fun girl gang vibe growing between the hunters and shifters
Why you might not want to read it:
the drama with Luka being engaged
story feels rushed, but the books come out quick
My Thoughts:
The series is flowing nice from one book to the other and they come out quick with a very short wait in between. It’s a pretty wild ride. My biggest issue with this sequel is that I loved Luka and Aspen in book one and hated that the man is basically about to get married to someone else in book two! Of course Luka and Aspen are bonded in some way so they were going to make it work but I thought it was too much drama for me and so full of angst. I wasn’t feeling it no matter how hot Luka is. Aspen was just getting pummeled emotionally in this book, which shows her strong character but still – I can’t get over what Aspen had to basically go through to get her man. 🤦🏻♀️ This one just made me feel bad for Aspen…she didn’t deserve all of that after what happened at the ending of book one. 😒 I guess I’ll read book three but I’m not too excited about it.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!
This week’s topic is:
Bookish Pet Peeves
CLIFFHANGERS – I love them and hate them at the same time because the wait for the next book is WAY TOO LONG…sometimes. Lol…not counting a few kindle unlimited books where the sequel comes out in a month or two.
2. NOT WHO I LOVE – I don’t mind love triangles, I know some readers are not fond of them but I enjoy them most times. But I do get a little peeved when the main character doesn’t fall in love with who I want her/him/they to fall in love with. 😆
3. FANTASY BOOK WITHOUT A MAP – put a map please….I think it should be required that fantasy books come with a map.
And 3 is all I have for this week’s TTT – I couldn’t think of 10 and yes I also forgot to post this one time. 😅 What can I say? It’s been a hard week – what’s on your TTT? ~ Yolanda
It’s October and there are so many books I want to get this week! I’m definitely buying Kingdom of the Cursed! I already read the arcs for When Night Breaks and Luminous. What are you getting this week?
One sister. Two sinful princes. Infinite deception with a side of revenge…Welcome to Hell.
After selling her soul to become Queen of the Wicked, Emilia travels to the Seven Circles with the enigmatic Prince of Wrath, where she’s introduced to a seductive world of vice.
She vows to do whatever it takes to avenge her beloved sister, Vittoria…even if that means accepting the hand of the Prince of Pride, the king of demons.
The first rule in the court of the Wicked? Trust no one. With back-stabbing princes, luxurious palaces, mysterious party invitations, and conflicting clues about who really killed her twin, Emilia finds herself more alone than ever before. Can she even trust Wrath, her one-time ally in the mortal world…or is he keeping dangerous secrets about his true nature?
Emilia will be tested in every way as she seeks a series of magical objects that will unlock the clues of her past and the answers she craves..
The competition has come to a disastrous end, and Daron Demarco’s fall from grace is now front page news. But little matters to him beyond Kallia, the contestant he fell for who is now lost to this world and in the hands of a dangerous magician. Daron is willing to do whatever it takes to find her. Even if it means embarking on a dark and treacherous journey, risking more than just his life, with no promise of return.
After awaking in darkness, Kallia has never felt more lost. Especially with Jack by her side, the magician with who has the answers but cannot be trusted. Together, they must navigate a dazzling world where mirrors show memories and illusions shadow every corner, one ruled by a powerful game master who could all too easily destroy the world she left behind — and the boy she can’t seem to forget. With time running out, Kallia must embrace her role in a darker destiny, or lose everyone she loves, forever.
A witch who must learn to harness her power–or risk losing her loved ones forever.
Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn’t take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.
To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she’ll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos–and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.
The dead of Loraille do not rest.
Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past.
When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being that threatens to possess her the moment she drops her guard. Wielding its extraordinary power almost consumes her—but death has come to Loraille, and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has any chance of stopping it. With all knowledge of vespertines lost to time, Artemisia turns to the last remaining expert for help: the revenant itself.
As she unravels a sinister mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, her bond with the revenant grows. And when a hidden evil begins to surface, she discovers that facing this enemy might require her to betray everything she has been taught to believe—if the revenant doesn’t betray her first.
Some myths should just stay buried.
Brexley’s journey has led her to the most coveted object in the world. In discovering the Nectar, Brexley finds other secrets and truths she was not ready for, ones that destroy everything she has ever known, confronting a power within herself she is not ready to face.
Magic is a balance. Things come at a cost. In saving lives, Brexley destroys her own power, cutting the connection with the infamous legend. When faced with devastating loss and destruction, the fabric of friendship, trust, and love are put to the test.
Trying to forget her grief, Brexley delves deeper into stopping Istvan, uncovering the depths he will go to gain power. She is thrown deep into the underbelly of greed and deceit, leading her back into the depths of hell.
Where only one survives.
**Release date: 10/8/21**
A spicy new twist on an old classic – a deliciously dark Beauty and the Beast reimagining.
I could save him, but he would ruin me.
The beast. The creature that stalks the forbidden wood. The dragon prince.
He has suffered a fate worse than death. We all have. A curse put upon us by the mad king.
We are a kingdom locked in time. Shifters unable to feel our animals. Stuck here by a deal between the late king and a demon who seeks our destruction.
The only one keeping this kingdom alive is Nyfain, the golden prince to a stolen throne. The last dragon shifter.
He’s our hope. He’s my nightmare.
When he catches me trespassing in the forbidden wood, he doesn’t punish me with death, as he’s entitled.
He takes me, instead. Forces me back to the castle as his prisoner. Seeks to use me.
Apparently, I can save him. I can save the whole forgotten kingdom, locked away by the demon king’s power.
But it would mean taming the monster beneath his skin. It would mean giving myself to him.
Bye bye September and Hello to one of my favorite months – October! I love Halloween and my daughter has been ready for Halloween since July. 🙂 We will be decorating the house this week, how fun!
I think I did pretty good with reading in September. There was a lull when my air conditioning broke and I didn’t feel like reading and sweating in bed. Plus I had a big order for Etsy to finish and that took me three sweaty weeks to finish. Most of my reading got dine in the last few days of September. So let’s see what I read:
What I Read and Reviewed in September: 15 Books
5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️:
4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:
**Review for Born of Blood and Flames was read in September but will be posted in October.**
4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
**Review for The Prison Healer was read in September but will be posted in October.**
3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
**Reviews for Under the Black Banners and The Dark Bond: Vampire Hunter Society was read in September but will be posted in October.**
ARC Reviews Posted in September:
5 Stars – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️:
4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️:
3 1/2 Stars – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:
3 Star Reads ⭐️⭐️⭐️:
ARCS I READ IN SEPTEMBER FOR FUTURE POST: 0
So total books I read for September is 15! Wow, I read no arcs for future posts lol – oh well, I had no time. I also got my NetGalley list down pretty good so I only have a few on there that are books to be releases in 2022. I have time to read them!
Title: Born of Blood and Flames (Gravestone Book, #1)
Author: Amber Darwin
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: 268
Publication Date: 8/9/21
Publisher:
Categories: Paranormal, Dark Fantasy, Romance
“The Darkness found me, and when I awoke, I became the most gifted Blood Witch my generation has ever known.
I am a weapon. I am hunted. I am everything they fear.
My name is Vivi Graves, and my story was never a fairytale.”
Life hasn’t been simple for the city of Thornfall’s best Blood Witch turned bartender. Shunned by most other witches, abused by The Academy of Elders, her love life is a dumpster fire, and even her sassy familiar doesn’t listen to a word she says. But at least she’s escaped the clutches of her corrupted mentors. Or has she?
When a terrifyingly sexy man shows up at her workplace, all shadows and temptation, her current reality starts to unravel. There’s no denying that he’s dangerous for her health, her heart isn’t safe either. But as their fates intertwine, buried secrets expose themselves and the past comes back to punish them both.
Is blood thicker than water? Does love conquer all? And in the depths of hell, can Vivi survive the flames? There’s only one way to find out…
** Born of Blood and Flames is a medium burn, enemies to lovers, dark fantasy, adult paranormal romance.
Where do I start? I picked this up because the synopsis mentioned witches and a sexy man plus it’s Fall and fall reading is a time for witchy and sexy books!
I love Vivi Graves – she’s a Blood Witch, she swears, she’s snarky and sassy, and she can fight. Vivi is also a bit broken inside. Her childhood was messed up and seems like her school years were pure torture. The Academy of Elders need her for something but she doesn’t want to give them the time of day. But then someone tall, dark and handsome strolls into town and everything between them is lust at first sight and she doesn’t know why – who is he and what does he want? In this book we find out Vivi is more than just a badass Blood Witch and Seer.
First off, the world building is great and detailed. I didn’t know what to expect but we get a detailed account of Thornfall and some info about Underhill Academy where Vivi went to school to learn about her powers. She had a miserable time at the Academy and harbors bad feelings about the place and people. Also we get to travel to the Netherworld where Killian (tall, dark and handsome) is from. The Netherworld is the underworld where Kilian rules but he has his own problems to deal with and we find out more about what those issues are when Vivi is there. I liked learning about Thornfall and the Netherworld and all the types of beings living in both worlds.
The characters really make this book amazing because Vivi is snarky, sassy and broken but she has a best friend, Marlow who is fantastic. She’s funny, level-headed and says the most inappropriate things! Linc rounds out the three of them, he’s a shapeshifter who is in love with Vivi, so it complicates things between them but I really hope they can be friends again. I can’t forget about Calypso, Vivi’s cat and familiar, when no one is around it’s just Vivi and Lippy. And in Killian’s world we have his badass half-siblings, a wild siren named Anise, a dragon shifter named Jagger (love him!), and the gorgon twins, Bane and Dante! They also have a volcano dog named Grim! It’s a fun cast and crew.
Now the romance between Vivi and Killian is full of angst. The attraction happens instantly and it’s hot. There is a push and pull between them, she doesn’t like when he’s being an alpha-hole but she can’t stay away from him either. At least Vivi knows herself and knows she’s always falling for the bad boys – poor girl, I feel her pain. Haha! I do like that when we are in The Netherworld, we get to know more about Killian and his motivations. He is the alpha, he is the heir but Killian loves his mama, his siblings and his people so I look forward to learning more about him in book two!
The ending is awesome – what a way for Vivi to access her powers!
Content Warnings: parental abuse, violence, death
We are in Vivi’s thoughts a lot and for me it got a bit too much in the beginning because it felt like info dumping and emotional dumping. I love that she is someone who expresses herself fully, whether it be happiness with her friend Marlow, confusion with Linc, lust with Killian and rage at Lilia. it’s what makes her amazing, but I think in the beginning as we get to know her background it was just us with Vivi trying to sort her feelings about a lot of things. Once the action starts happening this is a quick read.
The ending was an emotional roller coaster, I was raging and heartbroken with Vivi – I loved it and makes me eager for book two.
The author even puts a note before the story begins of content warnings. Read it! I love that she puts a warning.
Why you should read it:
the romance – it’s hot, sexy and angsty and about to get worse before they can be together
Vivi, Killian and all the other characters make this a fun story
good story about Vivi’s secret past and family
the Netherworld is dark, dangerous and magical
Why you might not want to read it:
Vivi curses, so if you don’t like dirty language, this is not for you
Killian is referred to Vivi as an alpha-hole, but honestly…I’ve read worst, I thought he was a pretty nice guy! lol
death of an animal
My Thoughts:
I’m so glad I downloaded this book. I’m a fan! It’s a quick read full of heat, magic, danger, friendship, secrets, love, rage, destruction, grief, and angst. It’s got a little bit of everything. The ending was unexpected, heartbreaking and so many things need to be resolved. I need book two asap.
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 