#Lauren Blackwood

[bookaddict24-7]

NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES! (MAY 14TH, 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:

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

10 Things I Hate About Prom by Elle Gonzalez Rose

It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass

Beach Cute by Beth Reekles

True Love & Other Impossible Odds by Christina Li

The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood

The Brightwood Code by Monica Hesse

The Worst Perfect Moment by Shivaun Plozza

Flyboy by Kasey LeBlanc

Thirsty by Jas Hammonds

New Sequels:

The Girl in Question (The Girls I've Been #2) by Tess Sharpe

Blood & Fury (Chaos & Flame #2) by Tessa Gratton & Justina Ireland

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Happy reading!

[booksellergothic]

Halloween Days 10 and 11

Sorry, time got away from me yet again. Hoping all (three?) of you forgive me. So today we get two recs.

Johnny Compton of the Healthy Fears podcast, has long been a writer of brilliantly frightening and wonderfully written short stories.

A spite house is defined as a property built solely to upset neighbors of to flout planning regulations. When Eric Ross - good man in a bad situation - sees an ad for a job at an infamously haunted spite house in Texas offering big money for a short term situation it seems like the new start he and his daughters need. Sadly, he's very, very wrong. Johnny Compton's first novel is a both a frightening entry into the burgeoning genre of Black Southern Gothic and an equally rich family story, perfect for the darkest nights.

Next up we have a YA novel that was not released as a horror novel but is clearly a Gothic that leans hard into the tropes of haunted houses and family curses.

There are books that are hard to describe in a pithy, grab 'em quick way. Within These Wicked Walls is one of those books. Inspired by Jane Eyre, informed by Ethiopian culture, and possessed of one of the best, most emotionally and intellectually complex YA heroines I have ever read, this is a story of where curses are metaphors for colonialism and unresolved history, love can have a scarred face or taste like chocolate, and parents are not always who or what they appear to be.

If you are interested in being added to my taglist please let me know!

@dianamolloy @piggledy-higgledy @imdeadtiredtm @joyfullymassivewhispers @caffiend-queen @dangertoozmanykids101 @toozmanykids @myoxisbroken @sillybillieandricky @wrathkitty @punemy-spotted @stupendouslovegardener @sylviefromneptune @acidcasualties

[lilibetbombshell]

[elliepassmore]

The Dangerous Ones release!

1863, Pennsylvania

War doesn’t scare Jerusalem—she’s a Saint. Thanks to powerful demigod-style reflexes, endurance, and strength, she’s fearless. And ever since the Confederates declared civil war, partnering with the vampires who benefitted off slavery, she and her battalion of Saints are essential to the Union army.

Jerusalem herself had been enslaved by a vampire, escaping North only after her family was murdered. She knows the enemy better, hates the enemy more than anyone in her battalion, and has been using it to her advantage since she joined the war a year ago. More than anything she wants revenge, but if she can help Black people gain freedom and equality without having to steal it for themselves like she had to, then all the better.

But she never expects to have to team up with a vampire to do it. Alexei is one of those handsome, arrogant Ancient Vampires. But he’s on the Union’s side, and in the year they've known each other, has never done anything but prove he’s on hers.

Together, they set out to change the course of the war and take down the vampire who destroyed everyone Jerusalem loved. But for her, it’s about more than justice.

It's about killing a god.

Bookshop.org

Barnes & Noble

If you're looking for a historical fantasy vampire novel, this is definitely a good pick! There are vampires, vampire hunters (Saints), and the Civil War, along with discussions on the connection of vampires and slavery. I really loved the addition of fantasy creatures into this time period and thought the way the world and history as we know it changed as a result of that.

The characters are pretty solid too. Each has their own trauma but are fighting back against the people who would keep them down. Jerusalem burns for revenge but also has the head to know she needs to be strong, fast, and well-trained in order to take down the vampire and slave owners who took everything from her. And she gets a very satisfying ending ;)

Want a more in-depth opinion? Check out my full review!

[curlyhairedbibliophile]

Cover Art | Wildblood by Lauren Blackwood

A thrilling Jamaican inspired fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blackwood! Eighteen-year-old Esther is a Wildblood. Kidnapped at the age of six and manipulated by the Exotic Lands Touring Company, she’s worked as a tour guide ever since with a team of fellow Wildbloods who take turns using their magic to protect travelers in a jungle teeming with all the ghostly monsters of Jamaican legend. When the boss denies Esther the promotion to team leader that was promised to her in favor of Dean, her backstabbing ex, Esther is determined to prove herself. Her magic may be the most powerful on the team, but she’s the wrong image the boss wants to send their new client, Laertes Thorn, a renowned goldminer determined to reach an untouched gold supply deep in the jungle. Thorn is everything Esther isn't - confident, impossibly kind, and so handsome he leaves her speechless. And when he entrusts the mission to her, kindness turns to mutual respect, turns to affection, turns to love. But the jungle is treacherous, and between hypnotic river spirits, soul-devouring women that shed their skin like snakes, and her ex out for revenge, Esther has to decide - is promotion at a corrupt company really what she wants? A fierce, lush fantasy by New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blackwood, Wildblood tells the story of a girl who must find the strength to defeat the demons of the jungle as well as her own to find where she truly belongs.

Artwork by Colin Verdi

Release date | Feb 7, 2023 Goodreads

[the-final-sentence]

'I'm definitely okay.'

Lauren Blackwood, from Within These Wicked Walls

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Wildblood | Author: Lauren Blackwood | Publisher: Wednesday Books (2023)

[yaworldchallenge]

🇪🇹  Ethiopia

Region: East Africa

Within These Wicked Walls

Author: Lauren Blackwood

336 pages, published 2021

Original language: English

Native author? No

Age: Teen

Blurb:

What the heart desires, the house destroys... Andromeda is a debtera--an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. She would be hired, that is, if her mentor hadn't thrown her out before she could earn her license. Now her only hope of steady work is to find a Patron--a rich, well-connected individual who will vouch for her abilities. When a handsome young heir named Magnus Rochester reaches out to hire her, she takes the job without question. Never mind that he's rude and demanding and eccentric, that the contract comes with a number of outlandish rules... and that almost a dozen debtera had quit before her. If Andromeda wants to earn a living, she has no choice. But she quickly realizes this is a job like no other, with horrifying manifestations at every turn, and that Magnus is hiding far more than she has been trained for. Death is the most likely outcome if she stays, the reason every debtera before her quit. But leaving Magnus to live out his curse alone isn't an option because--heaven help her--she's fallen for him. Stunningly romantic, Lauren Blackwood's heartstopping debut, Within These Wicked Walls, ushers in an exciting new fantasy voice.

Other reps:

Genres: #horror #romance #supernatural

My thoughts:

I don’t think I have much horror on the list, and this one looks interesting.

Also consider The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste, an adult book that looks at women warriors in Ethiopia’s WW2 history.

Review to come.

Bookshop.org link | Kindle link

[oracleofmadness]

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!

This was a beautiful adventure into a mystifying jungle in Jamaica.

This story takes place around the mid 1800's just to give you an idea of the time period. The tour group that Victoria and the other wildbloods "worked" for (more like slavery with a very small payment to specifically make it not slavery) had a British overlord that was quite cruel and abusive.

Victoria joins her archrival's side to lead the next tour into the jungle. The main concept that I really observed while reading, and what I really appreciated, was Victoria's relationship to this wild jungle as being one of comfort while her relationship with other humans and her job (basically her abusers) was where the real harm came from in this story. The jungle, while having so many dangerous and unknown factors, was more of a safe place for her, especially considering her origin.

There were some things I thought were too simple. Like a specific love interest for Victoria in the story. Just seemed a little too candy sweet for me to believe it to be genuine. But otherwise, I thought this was a magnificent story about understanding a victim's of abuse relationship to her abuser(s).

Out February 7, 2023!

[tanyasreading]

The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Black Wood

[travelingviabooks]

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood (DNF)

Genre: fiction, fantasy, young adult

Country: USA

Quick Summary:

Andromeda is a debtera (exorcist) unable to get her license because her mentor kicked her out. To make ends meet she takes a job in a cursed castle that no other debteras have been able to cleanse.

Review:

I went into this expecting a lot more horror and this novel definitely started off strong. I loved the plot and the unique “ghosts”, but then it turned into more of a cringey romance and ultimately lost me. I didn’t like the romance between Andromeda and Magnus at all. Had their relationship been a little different, I might have stuck around. This book had so much potential and I wish it could’ve lived up to it.

Would I recommend this book?: Probably not

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: Within These Wicked Walls

Author: Lauren Blackwood

Series or standalone: standalone

Publication year: 2021

Genres: fiction, fantasy, horror, retelling, romance, gothic, paranormal

Blurb: Andromeda is a debtera - an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. When a handsome young heir named Magnus Rochester reaches out to hire her, Andromeda quickly realises this is a job like no other, with horrifying manifestations at every turn...and that Magnus is hiding far more than she has been trained for. Death is the most likely outcome if she stays, but leaving Magnus to live out his curse alone isn't an option. Evil may roam the castle's halls, but so does a burning desire.

[wizardteampod]

It's not #WizardTeam Wednesday but we dropped a new episode nonetheless! In our latest bonus episode we cover WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS by Lauren Blackwood.

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[elliepassmore]

Wildblood review

3.5/5 stars Recommended for readers who like: fantasy, magic, adventure, magical woods, healing stories Big thanks to Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! TW rape (mentioned, brief non-graphic flashback), abuse I'm disappointed because I really wanted to like this book. I really liked the concept of blood magic and venturing through a sentient, magical, vengeful jungle. Unfortunately, while I do think Blackwood did a good job bringing the forest to life, I don't really think the rest of it hit the mark. There's also the issue with the instalove. The summary makes it sound like Victoria and Thorn grow to respect and care for one another when in reality they see one another and instantly start drooling. Some of the book is also predictable, but predictability can be more easily forgiven. I will say that I really liked the depiction of the forest. Blackwood promised us a forest full of spirits and deadly magic and then delivered. I felt the magic and the danger from the get-go and really believed Victoria's warnings that even the forest road was a dangerous place to be, let alone the heart of the woods. I liked the different fantastical elements/creatures that were brought in. I enjoyed that we got 'traditional' dangerous creatures (i.e., insects) as well as the more 'mystical' ones (i.e., the burning bull, River Mumma, etc.). I was very happy that most of the book took place in the woods because it was such a fun, rich setting. While the jungle provided a good backdrop for the story, I don't really feel like the plot was all the way there. We're presented with this challenge of getting to the heart of the forest in order to get gold...yet from the outset we already sort of know that's not going to happen. Victoria says it, the forest says it, and there are too many adversaries for that to be the true plot. And yet most of the book is spent with that as the 'goal'/plot. It's only toward the ending that the plot pivots and we get into the new idea that the system has to change, and even that is resolve fairly quickly. Victoria's transformation is a big thing, but in order for that to be the whole plot, there needed to be more introspection throughout the entire book, and there's not. The wildblood magic was a little confusing to me. I understand that the magic is pulled from the blood, and you need some sort of blood source in order to make it work (though it also sounds like you can pull blood out of people or animals via their pores or mucosal areas, so...). However, I would've liked a bit more description or explanation in terms of how it manifests. At first it seems like it just involves forming weapons of blood since Dean and Victoria both make needles, daggers, etc. Then later on Victoria mentions she has lightning? I don't feel like I got enough of an explanation of the magic to understand how magic manipulating blood results in electrokinesis. Some additional information in this department would've cleared things right up, especially since it's an interesting concept you don't really see that much. In terms of the characters, I think Victoria works as a protagonist. She's got an end goal of keeping her brother, Bunny, safe and getting him away from the tour company. She wants to move up the hierarchy in order to achieve that, but is otherwise content to stay on the sidelines, away from the brutality of the boss. Her transformation over the course of the book is largely subtle and has more to do with how she transforms inside herself than anything else. This change feels believable and has a couple of natural triggers. Thorn is an interesting character for me since I think he's written a certain way on purpose. He's very sweet to Victoria, and very chatty. He's an easy character to like for most of the book, but there's definitely a moment when my perception of him sort of...slipped sideways. He's still likeable, but looking at it from a different angle there are times when you go, 'okay, I don't think you're as nice and accommodating as you make yourself out to be,' and I definitely think that was purposeful on Blackwood's part. I do like that about the character. It gives a depth and complexity to him that I think is very interesting. Of course, with Victoria and Thorn there's a very instalove-y thing going on. I've mentioned before in reviews that I don't like instalove but can tolerate it so long as it feels believable (i.e., you get a build up of trust and respect first and without the love aspect). Unfortunately, we don't get that here. Thorn and Victoria run into each other very briefly inside the boss' office and immediately get heart eyes, and it's all 'I'm attracted but shouldn't be' from there. If there had been a slower buildup I think it would've worked better, but as it is I have this sense that Victoria feels very deeply for him (and vice versa), but there's such a short history there that it almost feels like a betrayal. Dean is another major character, and is Victoria's vicious, cruel ex-boyfriend. This is definitely a case where a character is made out to be terrible and then actually is. He takes nearly every opportunity to make Victoria feel small, even when she's right and being helpful and, you know, trying to make sure they don't all die in the magical jungle. In the last 30% of the book it does feel like there's a major personality change for his character and, to be honest, I don't believe it (and neither, I think, does Victoria, not completely at least). I think there is definitely complexity there that could be explored, but it happens too fast and isn't explored enough. Additionally, I feel like Dean gives so many different excuses for his past sins that they all just feel like lies. I can't really tell if this is on purpose or if Blackwood genuinely struggled with why this character would do some of the things he did. Bunny is Victoria's brother, a 14-year-old who is in a terrible situation and uses his magic to try and gain some control over his life, despite the detrimental effects it has on him. While he can be annoying and dismissive at times, I do feel like Bunny is written to be his age. He's very teenager-y, which fits. Despite him brushing off Victoria's concerns, he genuinely cares about her and her wellbeing. Samson is another brother-like figure for Victoria and has known her for basically her entire time with the tour company. I liked Samson's character and that he looked out for Victoria. He's definitely got his own flaws, but overall he's a pretty enjoyable, jovial character. One of the issues with this book is that none of the characters that are close to Victoria actually look out for her fully. They may worry about certain things and warn her and try to protect her, but none of them manage to achieve the full outcome. Thorn does a good job worrying and protecting, but he doesn't heed her advice about the forest and he doesn't truly listen when she talks about taking the gold as a form of violence. Samson cares for her and protects her, but he doesn't apologize when he's wrong. Yet these people are, by and large, presented as viable, good options. I did like the ending, and I'm glad that's the direction the author went with it instead of the one it seemed like it was going. I think it's true to Victoria and the message of the story. I was worried for a bit since it seemed like Blackwood was going to go a more traditional route, either HEA or something else ((view spoiler)), but the one she went with works perfectly. It does actually deal with some of the stuff I'd worried about as I was reading and the kinds of things I'd thought didn't fit well with Victoria, so I was pleased about that as well. Overall, I went into this book wanting to like it more than I did. The premise is good and I think there are definitely aspects of it that are promising, but it just falls flat. For one, the plot isn't really where it needs to be, which is recoverable if the characters and magic are where they need to be, but they weren't. I did like the setting, though, and I think the ending really hits the mark.

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Wildblood: A Novel

By Lauren Blackwood.

Design by Kerri Resnick.