#A.B. Poranek

[bangbangwhoa]

books I’ve read in 2024 📖 no. 047

Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek

“She is not the end of anything, but the beginning of everything. He has been dead a long time, and she is his resurrection."

[shxpeshifterr]

How pretty is this 😍

[gracie-rosee]

Help me get out of a reading slump!

Pick a book from my TBR!

If you’re in book club with me, you know which one of these I should be reading. 😆

[lifeofafemalebibliophile]

Book Review: "Where the Dark Stands Still" by A.B. Poranek

“Where the Dark Stands Still” by A.B. Poranek (2024) Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, YA, Romance Page Length: 368 pages (hardcover edition) Synopsis: Liska knows that magic is monstrous, and its practitioners are monsters. She has done everything possible to suppress her own magic, to disastrous consequences. Desperate to be free of it, Liska flees her small village and delves into the dangerous,…

[somanybookssolittletime1]

March Book Wrap Up

~~~ Good afternoon, bookish lovelies! 📚 Hello April! March was such a good reading month! I got out of my reading slump, read 5 of my ARCs, and a few others that were… interesting to say the least.  These are all the books I’ve read in the last month, which was a lot more than I expected to read!  These are the books I read/am currently reading. I feel like I didn’t get to read everything I…

[maddiesbookshelves]

London book haul ✨

I had a list of books I wanted to buy and only 3 of those were on it, haha. It was Before the Coffee Gets Cold, The Jasmine Throne and I Wish You All the Best. I had spotted quite a few other books that sounded really good, but Where the Dark Stands Still, The Briar Book of the Dead and How to Solve Your Own Murder just stood out above the others

I've read I Wish You All the Best in the past (several times actually) and have a post about it, but I really wanted to own a physical copy because I love it so much. And I've also read The Briar Book of the Dead since I came back and loved it! I'm currently on How to Solve Your Own Murder, which is pretty intriguing so far

[bookaddict24-7]

NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES! (FEBRUARY 27TH, 2024)

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HAVE I MISSED ANY NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES? HAVE YOU ADDED ANY OF THESE BOOKS TO YOUR TBR? LET ME KNOW!

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NEW STANDALONES/FIRST IN A SERIES:

Daughter of the Bone Forest by Jasmine Skye

Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek

Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury

Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana

Illusions of Fire by Nisha Sharma

Snowglobe by Soyoung Park , Joungmin Lee Comfort (Translator)

Kindling by Traci Chee

NEW SEQUELS:

Fate Breaker (Realm Breaker #3) by Victoria Aveyard

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Happy reading!

[slavicafire]

Have you heard of the book "Where the Dark Stands Still" by A.B. Poranek? Fantasy romance full of Polish folklore that came out recently, in English. Not sure if that would be your jam but thought I'd suggest it.

I take it you're new to this blog - which is entirely alright, of course - so I feel the need to note that unfortunately there's very little I dislike more than fantasy, romance, young adult fiction, and slavic-folklore-slash-myths-themed literature, especially if written by canadians and usamericans. you've accidentally recommended me the blueprint for type of fiction I dislike - which isn't a crime, of course, it's just funny how perfectly you happened to land exactly there.

still, thank you for taking the time to reach out with a recommendation for something I might like! perhaps someone following me will find this more up their alley :-)

[maddenikaris]

I didn’t scream about it here bc I devoured it in like two days BUT please read where the dark stands still by a.b. poranek. It’s incredible you guys. Finally, some good food

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

February 2024 Young Adult Book Releases

🦇 Good afternoon, my bookish bats. I hope you're bundled up with a fur baby, hot bev, and good book as you ward off this (lovely) chilly weather. No TBR is complete without a few young adult novels, and plenty were released in January! Here are a few YA releases to consider adding to your shelves.

🩷 February 6 🩷 ✨ All This Twisted Glory by Taherah Mafi ✨ ASAP by Axie Oh ✨ I Hope This Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang ✨ No Time Like Now by Naz Kutub ✨ Even If It Breaks Your Heart by Erin Hahn ✨ Who We Are in Real Life by Victoria Koops ✨ How The Boogeyman Became A Poet by Tony Keith Jr. ✨ Dead Girls Don't Say Sorry by Abby Elenko ✨ Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender ✨ Skater Boy by Anthony Nerada ✨ Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories by Various ✨ The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton ✨ Daniel, Deconstructed by James Ramos ✨ King Cheer by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, Jamie Green ✨ Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo ✨ These Deadly Prophecies by Andrea Tang ✨ The Cursed Rose by Leslie Vedder ✨ Clarion Call by Cayla Fay ✨ Out of Body by Nia Davenport

🩷 February 13 🩷 ✨ The Eternal Ones by Namina Forna ✨ A Suffragist's Guide to the Antarctic by Yi Shun Lai ✨ This Day Changes Everything by Edward Underhill ✨ With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer ✨ Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu, Mad Rupert ✨ The Boyfriend Wish by Swati Teerdhala ✨ Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear by Robin Wasley ✨ The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha

🩷 February 20 🩷 ✨ A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal ✨ The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert ✨ Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli ✨ The Diablo's Curse by Gabe Cole Novoa ✨ We Got the Beat by Jenna Miller ✨ The Someday Daughter by Ellen O'Clover ✨ Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle ✨ My Throat an Open Grave by Tori Bovalino

🩷 February 27 🩷 ✨ Fate Breaker by Victoria Aveyard ✨ Illusions of Fire by Nisha Sharma ✨ Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury ✨ Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana ✨ Daughter of the Bone Forest by Jasmine Skye ✨ Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek

[apricior]

hi!! book asks!!! 3, 12 & 24? :>

3. What were your top five books of the year?

these are not in order because i don't think i could choose a favorite tbh! but:

city of brass by shannon chakraborty. i loved the worldbuilding and the author's style and all the political drama, it was such a fun read <3

the adventures of amina al-sirafi by shannon chakraborty. pirate milf!!! i liked it just sliiiightly less than city of brass but it was also very fun, i loved the characters so much (especially jamal. my boy <3)

where the dark stands still by a.b. poranek. i'm pretty sure this book isn't out yet but i read it for work and i was IN LOVE with the polish folklore and the magic, i just cannot resist a story about a weird forest with fucked up creatures

hell followed with us by andrew joseph white. lost my mind from the first sentence to the last, it was such a good horror story <3 and the trans and autistic representation were incredible too

el sol allá arriba by clara cortés. this book isn't in english but it's a sapphic retelling of orpheus and eurydice set in post-civil war spain. this book gave me a new mental illness. all the details are so well-thought, the characters and setting were amazing and everything that happened plot wise made me want to throw myself into a volcano. 100/10

(special mention to lonely castle in the mirror by mizuki tsujimura and divine rivals by rebecca ross for almost making me cry at work)

12. Any books that disappointed you?

sadly, white smoke by tiffany d. jackson :( the premise was super good, i was hooked from the start and the horror aspects literally gave me nightmares but the ending was really rushed and it left a lot of plot points open, so that was very disappointing

24. Did you DNF anything? Why?

technically i'm going to continue reading them, but i've kind of dnfed nyckeln by mats strandberg and sara b. elfgren and våran hud, vårat blod, våra ben by john ajvide lindqvist, not because i'm not enjoying them, but because lately i haven't had the brain power to read whole books in swedish, so i'm putting them on pause kajsdhkajfshd

[mishikaiya]

Nine People You'd Like to Know Better

Tagged by @thetinyshiloh; thanks, love!

3 Ships Shepard X Garrus Vakarian - Friends to lovers babeyyyy. When I first entered the Inuyasha fandom I was an Inuyasha X Kagome person but fell down the Seshoumaru X Kagome ship hole when the fanfics I were finding interested me more. And let's go with Rogue X Gambit because I still get feral over that from when my uncle would recount their relationship to me growing up.

First Ship The first one I remember is Cloud X Tifa from Final Fantasy VII. And I'm in this one for life. Have I said I am such a friends to lovers sucker? It's a recurring theme.

Last Song Different Sun by BUZZ is in my headphones right now as I go through my Discover Weekly playlist by Spotify. So first time hearing it but thoroughly enjoying it.

Currently Reading Hoo boy. I am reading so many at a time lately. Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek, Dragonfall by L.R. Lam, Fumiko and the Finicky Nestmate by Forthright, Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto, Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto, Dune by Frank Herbert, Daughter of the Moon by Sue Lynn Tan, So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole, and Drag Me Up by R.M. Virtues.

Last Film My friend and I re-watched Godzilla (2014) the other night. I really love that one.

Currently Craving Some sort of ice cream with candy in it.

I tag (but only if you want to of course): @soothinghymn @licoricefern @jauffre @astrangedoor @shadowofveils @jaxi-the-dragonborn @margomadisons @unviincible @zenjestrr

[simoneandherbooks]

Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek // Book Review

If you’re as obsessed with Miyazaki as I am, then this is the book for you. Thanks to McElderry Books for the gifted copy. Here’s more about Where the Dark Stands Still Raised in a small village near the spirit-wood, Liska Radost knows that Magic is monstrous, and its practitioners, monsters. After Liska unleashes her own powers with devastating consequences, she is caught by the demon warden…

[thecatwars]

Books that I read in March 2024

So my reading adventure slowed down quite a bit (by my standards) this month. I started The Stolen Heir and The Glass Universe back in February, but due to my reading funk I didn't finish these two books until March. Some of the books on this list where a little hard to get through either because of the funk and stress that I have been going through or because I wasn't into the story. I'm really trying to avoid DNFing books, but the books that got the lowest ratings on this list came close to being DNFed.

As always, my brief reviews contain no spoilers.

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black: This was a good addition to the Elfhame universe. I was worried that I may not like this book because it would not be focusing on Jude's story, but I liked seeing the world of Elfhame through Wren’s eyes. I'm excited to read the sequel. This is a book that I borrowed from my local library and I'm still thinking about if I want to own this book. I gave this book a 4/5.

Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek: I want to start off by saying that my expectations were a little too high for this book and this affected how much I enjoyed this story. Where the Dark Stands Still is kind of like Howl’s Moving Castle, but with Polish folklore. I don't feel like the FMC and MMC had as much chemistry as I would have liked and the chemistry just didn't come through. It's an alright book. I own this book, although I'm not sure if I will keep it in my collection. I gave this book 3/5

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose: I have a lot more to say about this book than others so far because this book got me thinking a lot. To Shape a Dragon's Breath has some good qualities to it along with a few things that were lacking. The story has a very interesting and captivating set-up. The historical fiction part of this book was very well presented and done. Some may find this world a bit much with how much world-building there is, but I liked it. The characters are diverse, but that diversity is lost and sort of negated with the FMC's mindset, which is that everyone is wrong except for her. To give more context, the FMC needs to go a school to learn how to shape her dragon's breath. At this school the FMC is expected to assimilate to the backwards standards of the Anglish and despite the constant opposition, she holds firm and pushes back against what the Anglish perceive as correct and proper. The issue that I take is that there is a lack of nuance which leads to the black-and-white nature of FMC's challenges. The FMC is so caught up in not giving into the Anglish ideals, that more complex situations are diminished and oversimplified. I understand what this book is trying to do and it's important to have characters stand up against the status quo and be true to themselves, but the execution of this concept leads to a lack in nuance and depth. I own this book, although I'm not sure if I will keep it in my collection. I gave this book 3/5

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna: This is a cute book about witches and found family. The world-building is simple and cozy. I would describe this book as very soft fantasy. I borrowed this book from my local library. I gave this book 4/5 stars.

The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars by Dava Sobel. This is a nonfiction book that recounts the story of women who conducted astronomy research and observations at the Harvard Observatory in the late 1800s to the mid 1900s. As someone that is well versed in Astronomy, this book was interesting and easy to follow, although I will say the first 50 or so pages were a little slow to start. I borrowed this book from my university's library. I gave this book 4/5 stars.

2024 Reading Masterpost

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[sidlaw7]

Hey, Have you entered this competition to win Where the Dark Stands Still, by A.B. Poranek yet? If you refer friends you get more chances to win :) https://wn.nr/2bVpUvT

[somanybookssolittletime1]

January Book Wrap Up

~~~ Good Morning, bookish lovelies! 📚 A little late with posting this but damn January just flew by so fast. These are all the books I’ve read in in the last month. I read 16 books in January, well… 10 of which was this manga series (A Sign of Affection) I’ve been wanting to read forever and I finally did!! These are the books I read/am currently reading. I feel like I didn’t get to read…