September is here which means our favourite Autumn TV shows are coming back (as well as the most anticipated novels of the year are being release). 🍁 To celebrate it, inspired by Penguin's latest newsletter, I've decided to recommend books based on some of my favourite series. 

If you like Jessica Jones, you should try Wonder Woman:Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo. I've two words for you: women empowerment! Also, super-heroines. Who doesn't love them?

If you like Lucifer, you should try Angelfall by Susan Ee. Angelfall is a apocalyptic dystopia with angels, fallen angels, demons and lots of Heaven politics -God does not like to reveal His plans.

If you like Quantico, you should try Broken Sky L.A. Weatherly. Conspiracy. Wrong culprit. Plot twist. And more conspiracy.  

If you like Stranger Things, you should try Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.This one seems a little bit far-fetched, but both show and book feature a group of adorable misfits. Well, in Six of Crows is a dark-adorable group of misfits. 

If you like Supernatural, you should try Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. As Dean and Sam, Cas is a hunter -a ghost hunter that travels America to put an end to the dead. Spooky!

If you like The Expanse, you should try Starflight by Melissa Landers. Lots of space travelling and new planets to meet.

Any TV show/book you find alike?

Waiting on Wednesday. One Dark Throne

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week on WoW is One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake. I read Three Dark Crowns at the beginning of this year and I enjoyed it a lot -which was not surprising since I love Kendare Blake. I'm dying to know who will take the throne (I got the feeling this will not the last book in the series, thus the wait will be long). Anyway, who is your favourite queen and why? Mine is Mirabella because of the love she has for the sisters that want her dead. The book will be released on September 19th. 

"The battle for the Crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail?

With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent.

In this enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake’s New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn’s deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other."

From Goodreads

Review 28. Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh

Title: Flame in the Mist
Author: Renée Ahdieh
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: May 16th 2017
Pages: 393 pages 

"The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she’d been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath.

So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who’ve been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace.

The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she’s appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires."

Although I never read The Wrath and the Dawn duology, I've wanted to plunge into Renée Ahdieh's writing for a long time. Thankfully, Flame in the Mist, a perfect blend of magic and darkness, lived up to my expectations and I can't wait for its sequel, Smoke in the Sun.

Writing: Every page of Flame in the Mist is filled with mystery and is action-packed. The settings are captivating -from the Junkai Forest to a magical feudal Japan. However, I must confess, it took me a bit to get into the story because of the writing style. Don't get me wrong, the story is beautifully written, but I found myself struggling to follow the prose. 

One of the things I loved about this novel is that it conveys a very powerful message: women can be strong in different ways. Thank you Renée Ahdieh for showing that women can be portrayed in a million different manners and still be strong; they do not need to fit a certain female role to be compelling.

“I’ve never been angry to have been born a woman. There have been times I’ve been angry at how the world treats us, but I see being a woman as a challenge I must fight. Like being born under a stormy sky. Some people are lucky enough to be born on a bright summer’s day. Maybe we were born under clouds. No wind. No rain. Just a mountain of clouds we must climb each morning so that we may see the sun.” 

Just a quick warning: if you are expecting a Mulan retelling (I've to say it was the main reason why I picked up this book from my TBR pile), you may be a bit disappointed. I don't think this novel should have been sold as such. It does indeed have a few elements of the original tale, but, for example, Flame in the Mist is not set in China and Mariko disguises herself as a boy for different reasons than Mulan.

Characters: If dressing up as a boy and track the Black Can down to find why someone was sent to murder you, doesn't make you brave, I don't know what does -okay, maybe Marik's rushed decision could make her be seen as stupid too. Something I loved about Mariko is that she uses her mind to fight her battles and she does not back-down. She speaks her mind and no matter how much the Wolf bit, she would always bite back.

Talking about the enigmatic and secretive Wolf... I first feared an "abusive" relationship -the kind of relationship that no  matter much a guy mistreats a girl, she is still attracted to him- but I can gladly say my suspicions were wrong.  I enjoyed the development of the love-to-have relationship between Mariko and Okami -particularly because Mariko was dressed up as a boy and I could not wait to see how Okami would react when discovering her secret.

Worldbuiling: The world woven by Ahdieh is bewitching. The Junkai Forest with its Jubakka trees and forest spirits; feudal Japan full of secrets and betrayals. There is bloodshed and darkness, but there is a charm in this world that can't be denied. The little details and beautiful descriptions (even though confusing a few times if you do not speak English) made Mariko's world feel alive.

Monthly Recap. August 2017

Monthly recap is back! Can you believe it already is September? Four more months until the year end. Time flies! 😱 Looking back to the past eight months, I feel that I haven't accomplished anything I wanted for 2017. Well, not maybe everything since I finished the first year of my masters with flying colours (one of the few things that makes me feel proud of myself). However, it did left me emotionally and physically exhausted. And, now I'm struggling to find a theme for my thesis -a thesis I need to start working this month! *take a deep breath and do not freak out*

I really wanted 2017 to be the year I read 70 books, but I think I'll be falling short of my goal. There are still four months to reach it, but not even in my wildest dreams would I be able to read seventy books. Although this month I read a lot more than I thought I did - thank you Bout of Books 20. 

• The Valiant, Lesley Livingston
• The Flame Never Dies, Rachel Vincent
• Our Dark Duet, Victoria Schwab
• Broken Sky, L.A. Weatherly
• Flame in the Mist, Renee Ahdeh (short review on my Goodreads page)
• Starflight, Melissa Landers 

I also started reading Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza and Maplecroft by Cherie Priest. Hopefully, I'll finish them before the weekend ends.

Ps.: Our Dark Duet pierced my soul and shattered my heart. 💔😭 If you have not read it yet, have a box of tissues by your side when you do it.

Great news: I didn't order a single book in July. Bad news: I ordered too many books in August I'm still waiting for a few to arrive, but here are those that reached my doorstep this month:

From my Instagram account

• Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote (because of my mother, I've a crush on Audrey Hepburn and that's the reason why I brought this book)
• The Guest Cat, Takashi Hiraide
• The Love Boat and Other Stories, F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
• Flamecaster, Cinda Williams Chima 
• An Ember the Ashes, Sabaa Tahir (although I already own this novel, I decided to get myself the UK edition)
• Wonder Woman: Warbringer, Leigh Bardugo & Nyxia, Scott Reintgen (Illumicrate)

Which books arrived to your bookshelf in August?

Illumicrate. August Unboxing

Disclaim: I'm not a rep for Illumicrate or have any connection with it. I'm promoting it of my own free will.

Yesterday, I received my second Illumicrate -after a long calls to my country's delivery mail company who had sent it to only God knows where- and since it is such a fabulous and surprising box, I decided to share the August's box unboxing here on my blog.

What did I discover inside this little box full of surprises?

• Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo, exclusive edition for Illumicrate with red sprayed edges, and an exclusive pin.
• The Red Church tea by T-ology.
•  Shakespeare zip bag, artwork by Miss Phi.
• Wisdom journal, desgined by Hey Atlas Creative. The quote is from The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.
• Alethiometer Coaster, artwork by Hannah Hitchman Art.
• Sticky bookmarks and book money jar from Blossom Books. 

Look at all these amazing bookish items. *.* I'm completely in love with the sticky bookmarks and the zip bag. And, yes, I'm also in love with the book. Although I'm idolize Leigh Bardugo's writing and worldbuilding, I did not pre-ordered Wonder Woman: Warbringer. 🙊 But, in my defence, I did suspect it was going to be Illumicrate's August book. I'm going to cherish this book until my very last breath -I shouldn't be so dramatic, but this exclusive edition is gorgeous. Red sprayed edges? *.*

Inside it, I also found some EXTRAS. One of them was a ARC! *fangirling because I got my hands on an ARC*

• Three bookmarks (Ringer, After the Fire and The Bear and the Nightingale).
• Four Moxie badges. Female Empowerment! 👊 
• An exclusive advanced reader copy of Nyxia by Scott Reintgen with bookmark. I confess I never heard of this book, but it sounds so good that I've do dive into it ASAP.

This is the second physical ARC I receive (the first was also thanks to Illumicrate). As any bookworm, I couldn't be more excited to get my hands on it. I always feel jealous when people show off their ARCs -or the review copies publishers send them. I've contacted some publishers in hope I could enter the "ARCs club", but with no luck. It does let me down -it makes me feel average when everything I do is never good enough to get noticed... Well, let me move on from this gloomy rambling. After all, Illumicrate is here to brighten up our days. 🌞 

Veredict: If you have never ordered an Illumicrate, I one hundred percent recommend you to do it. Not does it offers exclusive items and editions for its subscribers, but it also contains ARCs and signed books (the book that came in May's box was signed by the author). And, Daphne, the business owner, is a sweetheart. 💓  

Waiting on Wednesday. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week on WoW is Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao. Talking once again about ARCs: I'm jealous of everyone who received one. I tried so hard to get my hands on one, but living outside US means it is impossible (it really annoys me that International readers don't have a chance - although publishers will say "no" to our money. I'm sorry, I didn't want to seem so bitter). Returning to the novel... I've never read a retelling focused on the story of the Evil Queen of the tale Snow White. And, this one has a East Asian twist. I just can't wait for it. The book will be released on October 10th.

"An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl's quest to become Empress--and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng's majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high?

Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins--sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute."

From Goodreads

Cover Reveal. A Reaper at the Gates

The cover and title of the third novel in Ember in the Ashes has been revealed. I'm so excited for this novel! This is my favourite ongoing series. However, I must confess I'm not really that fond of A Reaper at the Gates cover (or maybe I just loved the other covers too much; they were so eerie and mysterious). And, once again, the covers for this series have changed in - publishers really need to stop doing that. I do love this series, but my wallet does not like the idea of buying the first two books again so that they all look perfect together. You can see the new cover art for An Ember in the Ashes and A Torch Against the Night here.

EDIT: I know there has been a lot of discussion in the book community towards this cover. People are being told they are racists for not liking it. I'm not racist, it's great to see POC characters on a cover (even though, the blonde girl is at the centre). But I much prefer the previous covers, as many other people do, and that does not make anyone racist. A few days ago, I shared my thoughts on how this world fights hate with more hate, how open-minded people are those who are always ready to judge. It's so sad seeing this happening in the book community...

A Reaper at the Gates is expected to be released on April 10th 2018.

Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.

The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister’s life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.

Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she’d have to fight.

And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias’s devotion—even at the cost of his humanity."