punky-funky

[littlemoondance]

Pirates, royalty, a quest, sea dragons. There’s nothing not to love in this book. The descriptions and world building were wonderfully crafted and the characters are all fantastic. The ending was well done. I wouldn’t say no to a spin-off in this world that follows Lady Rosamie or William and Jejomar but I also want more of the magic that is in Tamarind. All in all this was a fun and fast read. 🦇 If you haven’t read Dragonfruit by @makiialucier yet please add it to your TBR.

[littlemoondance]

Tarisai starts out isolated in a home she wishes her mother would be with her in, only surrounded by tutors and servants who are mean to her and scared of her. But then one day everything changes when she is taken away from her “prison” to go live in the palace to try to become a friend and one day part of the young prince’s council, only to have her under a spell to murder him as soon as he anoints her. Can she fight the magical curse she’s under and grow with the young prince and her new found family without having to kill him?

I read the Raybearer duology by @jordanifueko and enjoyed every second of it!! The story telling is masterful and the characters feel so real and human. The format of the books being written into multiple parts keeps the pace moving along and you just want to know what happens next at the end of each page. I am SO excited for Ifueko’s newest book to come out (it’s inspired by Howl’s Moving Castle!!!). Anyways, if you haven’t read these yet please do. 🦁

[littlemoondance]

I finished reading the second Witchlings book “The Golden Frog Games” two days ago. It was SO good! If you haven’t read the first book and it’s sequel yet, why?! This cute middle grade book follows Seven and her Spares coven as they try to figure out who’s hexing competitors of The Golden Frog Games, while also on their journey of growing up, trying to help get other Spares the equality they deserve with other covens, and leaning into their special skills more and learning to love themselves for who they are more.

I can’t wait for more books in this series from Claribel Ortega to come out. And I’m so excited my oldest started reading the first book last night.

[littlemoondance]

I made mood boards for Adrienne Tooley’s other book Sweet and Bitter Magic and of course I had to make mood boards for the main characters of her newest book, The Third Daughter. I can’t wait for the sequel to come out.

[littlemoondance]

I had to make a mood board to capture the aesthetic of the book Among the Beasts and Briars after finishing it. The warm honey glow vs the moody forest ✨

[littlemoondance]

I just finished The Follower of Flowers by @nataliahernandezauthor and I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel to The Name Bearer. I loved getting to read from more characters perspectives and the weaving of the different stories. Now I have to wait for the third book to come out. 🌺

[littlemoondance]

I finished reading The Third Daughter by Adrienne Tooley this last weekend and I’m anxiously waiting for the sequel to come out! I absolutely loved this story filled with magic, self discovery, and deciding where allegiances lie. Follow Elodie and Sabine as they try to save Velle and their families.

[littlemoondance]

📖 I’ve been reading The Land of Stories book series by @chriscolfer 💖 this middle grade read has been so fun seeing my favorite fairytale characters all together and with new stories. As someone who has always loved fairytale books I’m so glad I have this series to add to my collection 👑

[littlemoondance]

Apparently IG doesn’t share to tumblr or Twitter anymore 🤷🏼‍♀️ so here we go:

I recently read “The Twentieth Wife” and “The Feast of Roses” by Indu Sundaresan. I had read the first book back in high school but had never read the sequel. Both books follow the life of Mehrunissa ( also known as Nur Jahan ), the twentieth and final wife to Jahingar, who was the fourth Mughal Emperor. The first book is just as captivating as I remembered it to be. I absolutely LOVED rereading this historical fiction book. The second book wasn’t as much of a hit for me as the first unfortunately. I was still super into it for the first half but the second half didn’t grab me anymore. I do still want to read the third book though. Which follows Jahingar’s son as emperor after he has finished building the Taj Mahal, where his favorite wife was entombed. And it focuses on his daughters.

Over all I still say you should definitely read the first book. And I’m so glad it stood the test of time for me. And I absolutely loved reading Indian historical fiction written by an Indian Woman. If you all have more book reccs that fall into the category let me know. Thanks ❤️

[littlemoondance]

I read “A Song of Wraiths and Ruin” and “A Psalm of Storms and Silence” last month. The books follow Malik, a refugee, who’s come to the capital to seek a new life with his sisters. Only to have to face the challenge of how far he’s willing to go to keep them both safe. And it follows Karina, the heir to the throne who only wants to be able to leave the capital and live her own life, only to have all her hopes taken away with a revelation and a new mission that makes her choose between her heart and her freedom. The sequel follows them both as they live with the decisions made in the first book and seeing how those choices have changed everything. Are they going to runaway or can they both heal themselves and the world around them? I LOVED the first book and enjoyed the second one. There were some elements I didn’t like in the second but the story as a whole was so well done. I would love a small little epilogue follow up book that follows the guardian of the magic (trying to word this as discreetly as possible so there aren’t spoilers🥲). But otherwise the ending was pretty much perfect. Have any of you read this duology. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you did 🤗 | #lmdlovesbooks #roseanneabrown #asongofwraithsandruin #apsalmofstormsandsilence #fantasybooks https://www.instagram.com/p/CpT1Ub2rKAH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[littlemoondance]

I read Third Daughter by Adrienne Tooley last November and immediately had to preorder the second book, Second Son. I just finished it tonight!

This book opened up the hearts of Sabine, Elodie, and Tal and took you on a winding journey with a beautiful ending I didn’t see coming. It delves into the power that comes with emotions and the magic of embracing them. It weighs the monarchy, family, obligations, and alliances and you come out feeling balanced.

[littlemoondance]

I finally finished What the Wind Knows after starting it in November. But don’t mistake me taking FOREVER to read this book as a bad sign. Life was just too much for me to actually get into it (new job, mom life, etc). But these last four days I’ve felt on top of life and I finished reading the 3/4 of the book I had left. It was so good. The history of Ireland in the early 1900s, the time travel, the romance, the story, Yeats! If you love any of these topics you need to read this @amy.harmon.author book. 🇮🇪

[littlemoondance]

Books I read this last year ✨

[littlemoondance]

Cerys is safe in the Kingdom of Aloriya. As a new queen is crowned, things long hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom itself. Cerys is forced on the run, her only companions a small and irritating fox from the royal garden and the magic in her veins. She now has to find a way to save everyone she loves, face the past, and keep the crown safe from the woods cursed monsters it sends to take it.

I couldn’t put Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston down. I just had to finish reading it this morning as soon as I woke up. If you love books about magic, curses, and an adventure through the wildwood this books is for you! The eerie monsters and woods mixed with magic make this perfect for an October read. I’m just hoping for a spin off to come out at some point 🥲 Hopefully we’ll see more of this amazing world Ashley crafted together.

[littlemoondance]

You know when you start a book and immediately don’t want to put it down because you have to know what will happen? That was this book. Even with figuring out the mysteries fairly early on I had to know. I loved the multiple perspectives and weaving of the timelines. And with the hints of magic seeped into the story it was the perfect October read.

[littlemoondance]

Realized I’m behind on posting about book I’ve read/am reading but I think this might have me caught up. I gotta double check. Anyways….

It’s WWII and Britain needs help weeding out the high ranking German spies from their Military and Government. Enter a middle aged British couple who are bummed that no one will hire them to help out in any capacity- rather leave it to the young folks, even though they have experience running spy games, nursing, etc from the previous World War. With the government not knowing who to trust they turn to a former chief of intelligence who then passes them on to Tommy and Tupence to solve the mystery.

I finished my second ever Agatha Christie book last week. This one was much easier to figure out as you read it than my first Christie book, A Murder is Announced. But I LOVED Tuppence more than Miss Marple and Tommy was pretty good too.