WWW Wednesday 6/12/2024

 

What is WWW Wednesday?

It's pretty simple! Every Wednesday, you share:
What are you currently reading?

What did you just finish reading?

What are you planning to read next?

Currently Reading

I have just recently started Songbird of the Sorrows by Braidee Otto. This book was gifted to me by author Braidee Otto and Book of Matches Media for my participation in the Songbird of the Sorrows Book Review Tour currently happening on Instagram until June 18, 2024.

I'm very excited about this book because I got to help promote the cover reveal where I fell in love with the beautiful cover and was incredibly intrigued by the premise. When Book of Matches Media offered the review tour, I immediately signed up, and I'm so happy I get to read and review this book!

Ask no questions. Obey your orders. Respect your masters. But most of all…Love no one.

Born without breath, Aella’s life began with a solemn promise etched in fate. Ousted from the Palace of Sorrows and gifted to the Aviary at a young age, she was shaped to fit the mold they made for her.

Spy. Thief. Princess. Songbird.

After Aella completes her training and passes the Naming ceremony, she is assigned to the prestigious Alpha Flight, led by none other than her former flame. Everything about Raven calls to her. He is brave, loyal, and lethal. But love is forbidden within the Aviary.

When Alpha Flight is tasked with infiltrating the eastern kingdom’s royal trials to seek a weapon hidden deep within its court, Aella struggles with the expectations placed on her.

As old sparks reignite and the harsh realities of the realm reveal themselves, she must decide whether to follow orders or defy them.

Just Finished

I just recently finished The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo. This was such amazing story! It was truly a breath of fresh air from all of the romantasy I've been reading lately because it was such a dark, heavy, and luscious story. You can read my full review here.

Like most, my first introduction to Leigh Bardugo was through the Shadow and Bone series on Netflix, which spurred me to read the series. This book feels very different from the world of the Grishaverse, and I don't mind that at all. This is definitely more of an adult fantasy novel with much darker themes and content, but that definitely made the story more vibrant and powerful.

If you're looking for a great historical fantasy with a dash of romance, gorgeous imagery thanks to the setting of the Spanish Golden Age, a little dash of the Salem Witch Trials thanks to the Spanish Inquisition, I cannot recommend this book enough.

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position.

What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.

Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.

Next Read

Author Nina K. Westra kindly approached me on Instagram and offered me a free copy of her book Demon Bound to read and review. I immediately agree after reading the synopsis because this sounds like a wonderfully dark and sinfully delightful read!

After years spent isolated in a lonely castle with her cruel husband, Raiya will do anything to escape… even make a deal with a demon.

When Raiya’s husband imprisons a monster from the hells, she sees an opportunity to free herself and spite her husband at the same time.

It’s said that demons are immensely powerful, halfway between mortals and gods. If Raiya can use her knowledge of rune magic to break the demon’s binding, he might agree to protect her from her husband while they escape together. That is, if he doesn’t decide to kill and consume her, instead.

The demon only requires one thing in exchange—her body.

Demons live off the fear and lust of mortals, which means that she’ll have to find a way to sustain him during their journey.

There’s only one thing more terrifying than sleeping with a demon: falling in love with one.

What are your three W's?

Let me know in the comments below or leave the link to your post!