Reading & Blogging Challenges. First Quarter Update

I can't believe the first three months of the year have already come and go. They weren't really good months for me, but I hate to see time going by so fast. I want to do a thousand different things and I'm already freaking out over the fact that there will be no time to do them. *takes a deep breath* In the past three months, I've been slowly going through the challenges I decided to join. I haven't read as much as I expected to, but, hopefully, I'll get a lot more involved in these challenges in the next months. If you are part of any of the challenges mentioned bellow, let me know. 😊

Season of the Witch. Bewitching Reads

Witchcraft and covens. Curses and incantations. Potions and charms. Necromancy and blood magic. These are the some of the words that pop into my head when I think of witches. Lately, I've found myself enticed by novels that feature witches. The portrayal of these women with magical powers breaks from the old hag representation from children stories. If you're in the mood for revengeful witches, cursed towns, eerie atmospheres and deadly spells, these are some bewitching reads.

Top Five Wednesday. Spring Reads aka Retellings in Bloom

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme run by Thoughts on Tomes and Gindger Reads Lainey.

Happy Wednesday! And, if you live in the same hemisphere that me, happy first day of spring! 🌻🌼🌷🌹 I'm joining Top 5 Wednesday for the first time. Lately, I've been in a spring mood (inspired by the season of love, last week I shared a discussion post on Swoony Romance Tropes) and this week's theme is all about spring reads. After some thinking, I decided to share with your five retellings coming out this spring that I'd sacrifice my bookshelf to the bookish gods to get my hands on them. Okay, let's not overreact. But some blood might be shed.

Sunday Post. Once Again, I'm Back! Life Has Been Messy...

Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviews.

Hi! How's everyone doing? I know that I haven't shared my week with you since early February, but I haven't been me. For those who don't know yet, my Luna passed away on February 14th after losing her fight to cancer. As I'm writing this, I'm shedding a few tears, so I apologize for any grammar mistakes. The last few months were not easy. I found a lump on her neck on Christmas and since then that day I've been feeling depressed. When she passed away, things got a little worse. No matter how hard I try to walk out of this bubble of sadness, I always find myself back to it. In the last month, I've been feeling a lot more lethargic - I go from writing/editing my thesis to stay on the couch without moving. I haven't been able to write or to read properly. I know what is happening to me, but I'm trying to fight all these feelings and I know I'll crawl out of this gloomy mood. One of my first steps was getting back to the blogging world. So, here I'm opening my heart to you and babbling about books.

The Girl Who Drank The Moon // Buddy Read With Evelina @ Avalinah's Books

Title: The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Author: Kelly Barnhill 

Publisher: Picadilly

Published: August 9th 2016
Pages: 388 pages

"Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is in fact a good witch who shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.

One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna's thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge - with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth's surface. And the woman with the Tiger's heart is on the prowl . . ."

I always wondered how it would be to do a buddy read. So, I couldn't be more excited when Evelina @ Avalinah's Books asked me if I would like to read The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill with her. It was such a great experience! I loved sharing my bookish thoughts with Evelina and discuss with her the story as we flew through the pages. In this very long spoiler-ish review (I'm sure this is the longest review I wrote in a very long time), I answered a few questions from Evelina. To take a look at her replies to my questions, you can visit her blog post here. 

Falling In Love. Swoony Romance Tropes

And they lived happily ever after! A very long time ago, I shared with you that I was planning to write a discussion post about romance tropes. Now that Spring, aka the season of love, is fast approaching (in my hemisphere), I finally found myself polishing the text and creating the banners. Today, I'm talking about some of the most common romance tropes in books with some book recommendations. If you're planning a swoony Spring TBR pile, then this discussion is definitely for you.

Disclaim: Even though I'll not be mentioning couples (even if some of them are well-known), there might be some spoilers. Some of the novels mentioned feature more than one romance trope. Also, this discussion post is of the 2019 Book Blog Discussion Challenge hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight.

ARC Review // A Spark of White Fire

Title: A Spark of White Fire

Author: Sangu Mandanna

Publisher: Sky Pony

Published: September 8th 2018
Pages: 311 pages 

"The first book in a scifi retelling of the Mahabrahata. When Esmae wins a contest of skill, she sets off events that trigger an inevitable and unwinnable war that pits her against the family she would give anything to return to.

In a universe of capricious gods, dark moons, and kingdoms built on the backs of spaceships, a cursed queen sends her infant daughter away, a jealous uncle steals the throne of Kali from his nephew, and an exiled prince vows to take his crown back.

Raised alone and far away from her home on Kali, Esmae longs to return to her family. When the King of Wychstar offers to gift the unbeatable, sentient warship Titania to a warrior that can win his competition, she sees her way home: she’ll enter the competition, reveal her true identity to the world, and help her famous brother win back the crown of Kali.

It’s a great plan. Until it falls apart.

Inspired by the Mahabharata and other ancient Indian stories, A Spark of White Fire is a lush, sweeping space opera about family, curses, and the endless battle between jealousy and love."