Can't-Wait Wednesday - Empire of Sand

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a feature hosted by Wishful Endings where people spotlight a book they're anticipating.

My pick this week is . . .

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri

Title: Empire of Sand

Author: Tasha Suri

Pages: 496

Publisher: Orbit

Release Date: 13th November 2018

Blurb from Goodreads:

A nobleman’s daughter with magic in her blood. An empire built on the dreams of enslaved gods. Empire of Sand is Tasha Suri’s captivating, Mughal India-inspired debut fantasy.

The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Empire for the power in their blood. Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited.

When Mehr’s power comes to the attention of the Emperor’s most feared mystics, she must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist their cruel agenda.

Should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance…

Empire of Sand is a lush, dazzling fantasy novel perfect for readers of City of Brass and The Wrath & the Dawn. 

Goodreads

Why I'm Anticipating This Book:

MMMMAAAAGGGGIIIICCCCCC!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Wildest Dreams Unboxing - We Are Monsters

Wildest Dreams is a YA subscription book box run by the lovely Zoe who blogs at No Safer Place.

Each box included a YA book, a tea, a bath product, and usually a bookmark and something extra.

This month the theme was 

We Are Monsters. 

Here's what was inside . . .

The tea this month was inspired by This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab. It is a black tea blend that is toffee, pumpkin and liquorice flavoured.

The bath product this month was a bath bomb inspired by The Vampire Diaries. 

It's pink and grey and is infused with patchouli and vanilla, and blended with hints of rose absolute, orange and jasmine.

The needle-pen is super creepy with the 'blood' inside.

 I was very surprised to find two eyes peering up at me when I opened up the bag!

The bookmark features the books of The Extinction Trials series.

This month's book was The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke.

The book came with a Wildest Dreams mini book review card and a signed bookplate.

I love the cover and I was very excited when I unwrapped the book. I nearly bought it the other week so it's a good job I didn't!

Here's everything all together...

Do you subscribe to Wildest Dreams?

What is your favourite item in this month's box?

Review - Grace and Fury (Grace and Fury, #1) by Tracy Banghart

 

Title: Grace and Fury (Grace and Fury, #1)

Author: Tracy Banghart

Pages: 320

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books

Release Date: 26th July 2018

Blurb from Goodreads: 

In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi face 

two very different fates: one in the palace, the other on an island prison 

where women must fight to survive. 

Serina has spent her whole life preparing to become a Grace - selected 

to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining example of the perfect 

woman. 

But her headstrong and rebellious younger sister has a dangerous 

secret, and one wrong move could cost both sisters everything. 

Can Serina fight? And will Nomi win?

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

 

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Thanks to Hachette Children's Group and NetGalley*

Sisters Serina and Nomi live in a land where women have no rights.

The two of them are very different - composed and graceful, Serina 

has spent her life training to become a Grace, hoping to be chosen by 

the Heir for a life in the palace where she might become the mother 

of the next Heir. Stubborn and headstrong, Nomi will be Serina's 

handmaiden.

But Nomi has a secret. One that might change the sisters' lives 

forever if it is discovered.

My favourite part of Grace and Fury was definitely the two protagonists, 

Serina and Nomi. They were very different but they loved each other a lot. 

It was interesting to read as they were put in situations that were outside 

their comfort zones and to see how they reacted.

The plot was pretty predictable but the setting was interesting. It was scary 

to imagine a world where women had no power and weren't even allowed 

to read.

The writing style was easy to follow.

At the moment I'm not sure if I'll read the sequel but I am interested to see 

what happens in the sequel.

I am disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more as the blurb really intrigued 

me.

Overall this was an enjoyable, but predictable read.

Blog Tour + Excerpt + Giveaway - The High Court (The Sky Throne #2) by Chris Ledbetter

Find the tour schedule here.

The High Court (The Sky Throne #2) by Chris Ledbetter

Release Date: October 16, 2018

Publisher: Month9Books

High atop Mount Olympus, dawn breaks on a new academic term. 

Normalcy has returned to campus following a harrowing expedition 

into The Underworld to rescue kidnapped students by Zeus and his 

fellow Olympians. Now, as they prepare to testify in The High Court, 

Hyperion will be tried for the attack on Crete and death of Anytos. 

Kronos will stand trial for the murder of Mount Olympus Prep’s 

Headmaster Ouranos.

As the trials draw near, Mount Olympus Prep students and faculty are

besieged repeatedly by a race of gargantuan stone and earth giants. 

Under heavy assault, the Olympians are forced to flee to the volcanic 

island of Limnos to regroup.

Meanwhile, a toxic poison Zeus has carried with him since a prior 

fight with a dragoness, creeps toward his brain.

In a race against time and beasts, Zeus and his friends must find a way

to survive not only the toxin ravaging Zeus’ body, but also the giants 

who grow stronger after every attack, and somehow make it to the 

The High Court alive.

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

 

Goodreads

 

Excerpt:

Tethys paused for a moment. Her gaze drifted to the fierce girl still 

holding my hand. “Wait ... Metis? Our daughter, Metis?” 

“Yes, Mother.” Her curt tone could’ve sliced through a mountainside. 

“You look so different.” Tethys covered her mouth. “Whatever have 

you done with your hair? It used to flow unrestrained like the 

turquoise waters of the Aegean. Now it’s a tangled thicket of 

bleached straw.” 

Metis stepped forward out of my grasp. “Don’t like it, Mother? Tough. 

This is what happens when a person is abandoned by her parents and 

tossed to the waves by them.” 

About the Author

Chris Ledbetter grew up in Durham, NC before moving to 

Charlottesville, VA in 11th grade. After high school, he attended 

Hampton University where he promptly “walked-on” to the 

best drum line in the conference without any prior percussion 

experience. He carried the bass drum for four years, something his 

back is not very happy about now.

After a change of heart and major, he enrolled in Old Dominion 

University and earned his degree in Business Administration. He’s 

worked in various managerial and marketing capacities throughout 

his life. He taught high school for six years in Culpeper, VA, and also

coached football.

He has walked the streets of Los Angeles and New York City, waded

in the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and climbed 

Diamond Head crater on Hawaii and rang in the New Year in Tokyo,

Japan. But he dreams of one day visiting Greece and Italy.

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