#the scorched throne duology

[chanelslibrary]

🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem

@shashemwrites

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Sylvia is the lost heir of Jasad. A kingdom that was destroyed in a fire ten years ago that killed every member of her family, and had its magic banned. Now Sylvia must hide from the Nizahl army that wiped out her empire and is hunting her people. But when she accidentally exposes her magic and captures the attention of the Nizahl heir, Arin, Sylvia is forced to make a deadly deal with her greatest enemy. Arin must never know her true identity if she wants to live, but Sylvia learns a group of Jasadi rebels have emerged and their scorched kingdom needs a queen.

What an absolute 5 star read!! Like any first book in a fantasy series this story started a little slow with the world building, but once it got into the thick of it I was hooked! The banter, the tension, the plot—OH MY! Sara Hashem knows how to write enemies to lovers. Sylvia is the fiercest MFC ever, and my boy Arin is so stoic, and smart, but has a soft heart underneath and seems evil but it’s just a mask😩 Anyway, I loved that this story was Egyptian inspired (major Aladdin vibes), with a great deadly competition that kept the plot going. I 100% recommend this book if you’re into fantasy, and there is a sequel coming out next year!

*Also, this is my opinion (not facts!) I thought this book was Dramione coded! From Arin having white/blonde hair and daddy issues, being stoic and cold on the outside, and Sylvia being this outcasted and hunted girl fighting for her people, having to step up and use her brain and skills while being the underdog. 🫶🏽**

Read if you love:

💛Enemies to lovers

⚔️Fantasy

🕌High stakes competition

✊🏽AAPI rep

[gccdstories]

So I needed to put down a place where I listed all the "knowledge" that I have regarding certain fandoms/muses that I have on this blog. Considering some of the ones I write have multiple forms of media and/or are things currently still in progress, there are sometimes things I haven't yet become aware of.

Example: I have only seen the SHOW forms of GRRM's material. Not the books. Another example is that I have not read the latest JLA book, the conclusion of the Flesh & Fire series yet.

I will update this as things change, etc. But rather than constantly updating places in the rules or whatever, here's a handy "list".

MAASVERSE

Have read the following:

Throne of Glass series in entirety

A Court of Thorns & Roses series in entirety

Crescent City series in entirety

Posted: 09/02/2024

GRISHAVERSE

Have read & seen the following:

Shadow & Bone Netflix series in entirety

Shadow & Bone trilogy in entirety

Six of Crows duology in entirety

King of Scars duology in entirety

Posted: 09/02/2024

EMPYREAN SERIES

Have read the following:

Fourth Wing

Iron Flame

[ All three Xaden POV released bonus chapters (FW ch9, ch16, ch27) ]

Posted: 09/23/2024

WIZARDING WORLD

Have read & seen the following:

Harry Potter series (books 1-7)

Harry Potter films (movies 1-8)

Fantastic Beasts films (movies 1-3)

Posted: 09/02/2024

FROM BLOOD & ASH / FLESH & FIRE WORLD (JLA)

Have read the following:

From Blood & Ash (fbaa book 1)

A Kingdom of Flesh & Fire (fbaa book 2)

The Crown of Gilded Bones (fbaa book 3)

The War of Two Queens (fbaa book 4)

A Soul of Ash & Blood (fbaa book 5)

A Shadow in the Ember (f&f book 1)

A Light in the Flame (f&f book 2)

A Fire in the Flesh (f&f book 3)

Fall of Ruin & Wrath (awakening book 1)

Posted: 09/02/2024

GAME OF THRONES / HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

Have seen the following:

Game of Thrones series (seasons 1-8)

House of the Dragon series (seasons 1-2)

Posted: 09/02/2024

MISC. LITERATURE / TV

Have read / seen the following:

The Hurricane Wars (Thea Guanzon)

Lauren Roberts books (Powerless / Powerful / Reckless)

Carissa Broadbent's Crowns of Nyaxia books (The Serpent & the Wings of Night / The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King / Six Scorched Roses / Slaying the Vampire Conqueror)

Lisette Marshall's Fae Isles books (Court of Blood & Bindings / Lord of Gold & Glory)

Amber V. Nicole's Gods & Monsters books (The Book of Azrael / The Throne of Broken Gods / The Dawn of the Cursed Queen)

Penn Cole's Kindred's Curse books (Spark of the Everflame / Glow of the Everflame / Heat of the Everflame )

Callie Hart's Fae & Alchemy books (Quicksilver)

Scarlett St. Clair's Adrian x Isolde books (King of Battle & Blood / Queen of Myth & Monsters)

Posted: 10/22/2024

MEDIA CURRENTLY IN PROCESS

The following:

Nothing that has any bearing on the muse list (right now at least)

Posted: 10/22/2024

[alexgasun]

Reading Wrap Up 2023

In 2023 I got back into reading. I loved reading as a child but as I grew older I had less and less time to read. Also I didn't know what to read. When I was in school, classics were most popular but I didn't enjoy reading classic literature. This year, I quit my job and I had a lot of free time. I borrowed my boyfriend's kindle and started reading again. I mostly read fantasy and romance, fantasy romance too. I try reading mostly adult books in these genres because I do enjoy reading some smut.

I've read 102 books in total, DNF-ed 52. So, here is my list of the best, most mediocre and the worst books I've read.

Best books 2023 : 1. The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem (adult fantasy romance)- this is book 1 in The Scorched Throne duology. Second book release date has not been announced yet. In this story we follow Sylvia, lost and presumed dead heir to Jasad. Sylvia's main goal is to survive. She has no plans to reclaim the throne or help her people who are murdered for their magic.

2. Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken (young adult fantasy, romance) - book 1 in Silver in the Bone series. I'm not sure how many books there will be in the series. There is no release date for book 2. In this story we follow siblings who are searching for Arthurian ring. The world is very well constructed. It's magical, dark.

3. Children of Fallen Gods by Carissa Broadbent (adult fantasy romance) - book 2 in The War of Lost Hearts trilogy (complete). I don't want to write much about premise of this book because I'm afraid to spoil anything for anyone. You definitely need to read book 1 Daughter of No Worlds before you read book 2. Book 2 is told in 3 POVs, 2 of them are connected and one of them is kind of independent. All I will say is that this book is heartbreaking, beautiful, tense and emotional. The ending is my Roman Empire. And it's the best book in the series, in my opinion.

4. Tress of Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson (young adult fantasy romance) - part of the Cosmere series (ongoing) which consists of mostly independent stories. I decided to read this because TikTok won't shut up about Brandon Sanderson. I've seen how thick his books are and I want to avoid them, no matter how great they may be. But Tress of Emerald Sea is about 500 pages and it was a very light read. And, most importantly, so much fun. In this story we follow Tress, who leaves her island to search for her beloved. Such a magical work. It takes you back to good parts of your childhood, I don't know how to explain it.

5. A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir (young adult fantasy romance) - book 4 of An Ember in the Ashes series (complete). It's a final book in the series. You definitely need to read previous books to appreciate this work. Again, I don't want to spoil anything so all I will say that this is a perfect ending to the series. It wraps everything up, there are no questions left. So devastatingly beautiful, sad, hopeful. I'm tearing up as I'm writing this. I do want to mention that I would not qualify this as a young adult book. There are some pretty heavy topics involved, there is gore and torture (which is described in detail too). Definitely check out warnings.

6. At The End There Was You by Wendy Heiss (fantasy romance). Pretty short novella, not part of any series. The God of Death has announced that he will destroy the world in 7 days. We follow Winter, our main character, as she assists Azriel - a mage in trying to find a way to avoid the end of the world. Beautifully written. Some heavy topics discussed/mentioned.

7. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (young adult/adult fantasy romance). Book 1 in Assistant to the Villain trilogy (ongoing). The author recently announced book 2 release date (August 2024). This book is a very light read even though some heavy topics are discussed. If you want something "serious", deep. intricate and complicated you should probably skip this one. The main reason why I have it in the list of Best books is because of the romance. I'm a sucker for a slowburn, especially in fantasy genre and romance storyline in Assistant to the Villain is exactly what I want to see. In this book we follow Evie - the main provider of her family - as she works as an assistant to The Villain. The main plotline revolves around the Villain and Evie trying to find out who is the spy in their castle.

8. The Right Move by Liz Tomforde (contemporary sports romance, adult) - book 2 in Windy City series (ongoing). There are 3 books in the series so far, mostly independent from each other with reoccurring characters. In this story we follow Indy, who has recently ended a relationship and needs a play to crash and Ryan, who is captain in a basketball team. Just read it.

9. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez (contemporary adult romance) - book 2 in Part of Your World series (I'm not sure whether there will be more books in this series). You don't have to read book 1 but I do recommend it. The main female character is Briana - recently divorced, overworked. Her brother is sick so she takes care of him too. She's hoping to get promoted in the hospital but suddenly, a new doctor appears! Understandably, initially tensions are high. I must say, this might be my favorite romance of all time. Jacob is the best book boyfriend ever. There is no one like him. His universe revolves around Briana. Sorry, I'm a sucker for simps.

This list was supposed to include one more book but it's published under St. Martin's Press against which there is ongoing creator's boycott. While I'm not a creator and have 0 followers, I still want to support the boycott so I will not be mentioning the book title or the author. Also somehow this list took me almost an hour to write and the post is already huge. Will to mediocre books list in another post

[richincolor]

We’re headed for the end of the year, but there are still so many books I want to read! Here are five books I want to tackle before 2019 comes to a close. What books are you hoping to squeeze in before the end of the year?

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett Knopf Books for Young Readers

In a community that isn’t always understanding, an HIV-positive teen must navigate fear, disclosure, and radical self-acceptance when she falls in love–and lust–for the first time. Powerful and uplifting, Full Disclosure will speak to fans of Angie Thomas and Nicola Yoon.

Simone Garcia-Hampton is starting over at a new school, and this time things will be different. She’s making real friends, making a name for herself as student director of Rent, and making a play for Miles, the guy who makes her melt every time he walks into a room. The last thing she wants is for word to get out that she’s HIV-positive, because last time . . . well, last time things got ugly.

Keeping her viral load under control is easy, but keeping her diagnosis under wraps is not so simple. As Simone and Miles start going out for real–shy kisses escalating into much more–she feels an uneasiness that goes beyond butterflies. She knows she has to tell him that she’s positive, especially if sex is a possibility, but she’s terrified of how he’ll react! And then she finds an anonymous note in her locker: I know you have HIV. You have until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with Miles. Or everyone else will know too.

Simone’s first instinct is to protect her secret at all costs, but as she gains a deeper understanding of the prejudice and fear in her community, she begins to wonder if the only way to rise above is to face the haters head-on…

I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi HarperTeen

Seven days. Seven days. The Earth might end in seven days.

When news stations start reporting that Earth has been contacted by a planet named Alma, the world is abuzz with rumors that the alien entity is giving mankind only few days to live before they hit the kill switch on civilization.

For high school truant Jesse Hewitt, though, nothing has ever felt permanent. Not the guys he hooks up with. Not the jobs his underpaid mom works so hard to hold down. Life has dealt him one bad blow after another — so what does it matter if it all ends now? Cate Collins, on the other hand, is desperate to use this time to find the father she’s never met, the man she grew up hearing wild stories about, most of which she didn’t believe. And then there’s Adeem Khan. While coding and computer programming have always come easily to him, forgiveness doesn’t. He can’t seem to forgive his sister for leaving, even though it’s his last chance.

With only seven days to face their truths and right their wrongs, Jesse, Cate, and Adeem’s paths collide even as their worlds are pulled apart.

The Never Tilting World (The Never Tilting World #1) by Rin Chupeco HarperTeen

Frozen meets Mad Max in this epic teen fantasy duology bursting with star-crossed romance, immortal heroines, and elemental magic, perfect for fans of Furyborn.

Generations of twin goddesses have long ruled Aeon. But seventeen years ago, one sister’s betrayal defied an ancient prophecy and split their world in two. The planet ceased to spin, and a Great Abyss now divides two realms: one cloaked in perpetual night, the other scorched by an unrelenting sun.

While one sister rules Aranth—a frozen city surrounded by a storm-wracked sea —her twin inhabits the sand-locked Golden City. Each goddess has raised a daughter, and each keeps her own secrets about her sister’s betrayal.

But when shadowy forces begin to call their daughters, Odessa and Haidee, back to the site of the Breaking, the two young goddesses —along with a powerful healer from Aranth, and a mouthy desert scavenger —set out on separate journeys across treacherous wastelands, desperate to heal their broken world. No matter the sacrifice it demands.

A River of Royal Blood (A River of Royal Blood #1) by Amanda Joy Putnam

An enthralling debut perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone set in a North African-inspired fantasy world where two sisters must fight to the death to win the crown.

Sixteen-year-old Eva is a princess, born with the magick of marrow and blood–a dark and terrible magick that hasn’t been seen for generations in the vibrant but fractured country of Myre. Its last known practitioner was Queen Raina, who toppled the native khimaer royalty and massacred thousands, including her own sister, eight generations ago, thus beginning the Rival Heir tradition. Living in Raina’s long and dark shadow, Eva must now face her older sister, Isa, in a battle to the death if she hopes to ascend to the Ivory Throne–because in the Queendom of Myre only the strongest, most ruthless rulers survive.

When Eva is attacked by an assassin just weeks before the battle with her sister, she discovers there is more to the attempt on her life than meets the eye–and it isn’t just her sister who wants to see her dead. As tensions escalate, Eva is forced to turn to a fey instructor of mythic proportions and a mysterious and handsome khimaer prince for help in growing her magick into something to fear. Because despite the love she still has for her sister, Eva will have to choose: Isa’s death or her own.

A River of Royal Blood is an enthralling debut set in a lush North African inspired fantasy world that subtly but powerfully challenges our notions of power, history, and identity.

Rogue Heart (Rebel Seoul #2) by Axie Oh Tu Books

NEO BEIJING, 2201. Two years after the Battle of Neo Seoul, eighteen-year-old telepath Ama works by day in a cafe and moonlights as a lounge singer in a smoky bar at night. She’s anonymous, she’s safe from the seemingly never-ending war, and that’s how she’d like to stay. But then PHNX, a resistance group specializing in espionage and covert missions, approaches her with an offer to expose a government experiment exactly like the one she fled. Soon, Ama is traveling with PHNX on a series of dangerous assignments, using her telepathic powers to aid the rebellion against the authoritarian Alliance.

As the war ramps up, PHNX is given its most dangerous mission yet: to infiltrate the base of the Alliance’s new war commander, a young man rumored to have no fear of death. But when Ama sees the commander for the first time, she discovers his identity: Alex Kim, the boy she once loved and who betrayed her.

Now, Ama must use her telepathic abilities to pose as an officer in Alex’s elite guard, manipulating Alex’s mind so that he doesn’t recognize her. As the final battle approaches, Ama struggles with her mission and her feelings for Alex. Will she be able to carry out her task? Or will she give up everything for Alex again—only to be betrayed once more?

Part heist novel, part love story, Rogue Heart is perfect for fans of Marie Lu’s Warcross and Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series.

[kbrown78]

Top 5 Wednseday

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday 

Topic: Books You Want to see as TV shows

Now I have mixed opinions on this topic. Generally, with book to movie adaptations, I don't like the movies. There are some exceptions like the Lord of the Rings, the Scorch Trials, and contemporary/ literary fiction novels. TV shows are another story. They tend to focus more on the characters and can build on the world, but they have more limitations put on them that I don't think movies have. That being said here are some books that I think would make good TV series if they were produced with the right stations.

The Red Rising trilogy: This would make a perfect TV series. You could expand on the inner workings of multiple moons, give more identity and back stories to characters like Octavia or Victra, and I would love to have gifs for this because there is just not enough fanart out there. I think this would work best on the SyFy channel since it does involve futuristic technology and starship battle scenes, which could easily become something cheesy and over the top. I've only seen The Magicains on SyFy but the TV show did manage to make the plot and characters more enjoyable than the book.

2. The Grishaverse: Both the Grisha trilogy and the Six of Crows duology have a rich plethora of characters and cultures. There's an exciting plot in both stories and I would love to see these books brought to the screen in small screen format, not large screen format, and I think Netflix would actually be the best place for these books.  

3. Gone series: This series is similar to Under the Dome, but ups the eeriness level to 11 by having all of the characters being children or young teenagers. It's a story that pulls you into a dark hallway and won't let you go. There's super powered kids, aliens, and several themes brought up that you would usually find in apocalyptic stories. As well as having a very diverse cast, the children are portrayed in a mature way that isn't often seen. I am struggling to think of where this would be a good show, but if handled right and following the book series, it could be a very good show.

4. The Queen of the Tearling trilogy: With Game of Thrones coming to an end, everyone is wondering what the next epic fantasy drama will be. This series lacks the epicness that Game of Thrones has, but it has a level of depth and darkness that would work on HBO. It can also help remedy one of issues with the last book and give appropriate amount of time to the various characters.

5. The Selection series: For fans of the Bachleor, this series adds a royal twist with a hint of dystopia. It's a cute, fluffy series that isn't for everyone, but if you want a romantic drama with lots of pretty dresses, than this is it. I could see this series working on ABC family because it would rely mostly on character drama, as opposed to anything else.